As part of efforts to reduce the incessant attacks on tankers and trawlers operating on the nation's territorial waters, the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association has advised the Federal Government to relate with community leaders and rulers in the volatile coastal parts of the country.
The association also said that there should be a synergy between government agencies and the community heads to curb sea robbery which has claimed the lives of several seafarers at sea.
As part of efforts to reduce the incessant attacks on tankers and trawlers operating on the nation's territorial waters, the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association has advised the Federal Government to relate with community leaders and rulers in the volatile coastal parts of the country.
The association also said that there should be a synergy between government agencies and the community heads to curb sea robbery which has claimed the lives of several seafarers at sea.
Secretary, fishing zone of the association, Mr. Kingsley Enahoro told Shipping Position Daily in Lagos yesterday that most of the sea pirates who operate in the regions are likely to be indigenes of the coastal communities, adding that the traditional rulers have pivotal roles to play in the fight against piracy and robbery at sea.
Enahoro said that it is difficult for sea robbers to operate in communities where they are not natives, pointing out that the village heads know about all the positive and negative activities that occur in these waters.
The scribe said that, "what the federal government should do is that NIMASA and the Navy should partner with community leaders in the volatile creeks so that they would be able to talk with the youths of the various villages on that coast".
"It is not all about positioning gunboat in the middle of the sea because there is the need for constant movement of navy to monitor the activities at sea. And there is no way the robbers can enter the water channel without passing through creeks to attack trawlers and tankers, so if the creeks can be properly monitored by security agents it will reduce pirate activities on our waters ", he advised.
He also called on the government to put in place aerial surveillance whereby aircrafts can also patrol the coast and report abnormalities at sea to the appropriate channel, adding that it will scare the robbers at sea away from vessels approaching such dangerous spots.
According to him, the search and rescue team of NIMASA is not living up to expectations and members of the association are no longer comfortable with the current situation at sea.
He said that the ordeal of kidnapped members has been worrisome to the association and the fishing companies, this, which according him, is a failure on the part of the government.
He however added that the Nigeria Navy is not properly equipped with the right apparatus to carry out its operations on the maritime domain.
Enahoro went further to say that, "if they can empower the navy with more speed boats and even send more personnel to sea, this will bring about less theft on our waters because as we speak JTF seems to focus more on oil Bunkerers which alone will not help".
"With patrol on the air and with more sophisticated equipment to be manned by the navy both on land and water in collaboration with the JTF, there will be safety on our waters".
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