Indigenous trawler owners under aegis of Nigerian Trawler Owners Association (NITOA) have distanced themselves from the purported attempt by the federal fisheries department to force its members to acquire a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) device.
A director of the fisheries department was reported to have said that the directive was given by the federal as a measure of tackling the rising spate of sea robbery and piracy in Nigeria.
The director, Mr Shola Amire was quoted as saying that “the decision was taken by the coastal states in the West African sub-region to implement VMS before the end of 2009. Nigeria is definitely falling in line to actualise the decision.”
He also hinted that government has ordered all fishing trawler owners to install Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) on their vessels before the end of 2009.
According to him, each of the embattled fishing trawlers are expected to install the VMS which will be fitted with a transponder which is expected to trigger an alarm which would relate information and location of the vessel being attacked to the base station of security agencies.
“Once a vessel is in distress or is being attacked, it will trigger alarm that could easily enable the security operatives to coordinate rescue operation and identify the location of the vessel”, he disclose even as he added however that the trawler owners are expected to bear the cost.
But when contacted, the vice president of Nigeria Trawler Owners Associationn (NITOA), Mrs Margret Orakwusi said that her association has not agreed with the fisheries department on the VMS issue and that trawler owners were already talking with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
According to her the arrangement with NIMASA is more assuring a sit covers a wider range than what the fisheries department is talking about. “We are working with NIMASA, it is the agency that is in charge of maritime safety, they have met with us as they have met with ship owners, we need a central connecting point and NIMASA is more likely going to give us that”, she explained.
Mrs Orakwusi however confirmed that the federal department had invited the association to a meeting on the issue, but added that nothing concrete has been agreed on.
But when contacted for comments, the director, maritime safety at NIMASA, Captain Ade Olopoenia confirmed told Shipping Position Weekly that the agency has actually commenced talks with NITOA members, adding that what the agency is offering is the global Long Range Tracking and Identification of Ships.
He confirmed that the NITOA actually requested for the facility which according to him provides more assurances of assistance to distressed ships and fishing trawlers.
He added that all Nigerian ships are expected to be fitted with the facility in line with directives of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
Discussion about this post