Findings by Shipping Position Daily have revealed that the nation’s once-thriving ship repair yards are no longer in existence, while the few existing ones suffer from disrepair and lack of patronage.
Our correspondent gathered that while the vast potential of the maritime sector remains untapped, questions about how the Nigeria ship repair yards can be resuscitated remains a challenge for stakeholders in the industry. This is even as stakeholders in the nation’s maritime industry have collectively advocated for a holistic approach, stressing the importance of political will, financial investments, and strategic policies to revive the ship repair yards.
They noted that the revitalization of these facilities is not only a means to address unemployment within the maritime sector, but also as a crucial step towards repositioning Nigeria as a self-reliant hub for ship repairs and construction.
In a chat with our correspondent, Capt. Tajudeen Alao, President of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM) lamented the drastic reduction in the number of ship repair yards in the country. He noted that the drastic reduction in fishing trawlers from 385 to less than 50, emphasizing that an increase in the number of fishing boats and tugboats would generate jobs for shipyards.
He said “We have the ship repairers. We can resuscitate them, but we can create wealth by disbursing loans to our people to buy ships,” says Alao.
Alao also advocated for financial support, urging the government to inject funds into the maritime sector, emphasizing the wealth potential at sea waiting to be harnessed.
“We have the ship repairers. We can resuscitate them, but we can create wealth by disbursing loans to our people to buy ships. We used to have 385 Fishing trawlers. Now we have less than 50.
“If we have many fishing boats, the ship yards will have jobs. If we have many tugboats, there will be jobs for them. Then if our people can buy ships, from supply boats to international ships, then we can repair them here. The Marine Engineers will get jobs. The multiplier effect is great. There is wealth at sea. So we only need to have the political will, push money into it, and tap and harness the resources”, he said.
Reacting also to the decline in ship repair yards in the country Otunba Sola Olatunji, a ship owner and member of the Nigerian Ship owners’ Association (NISA), lamented the decline in shipyards, particularly citing the case of Nigerdock, a once-thriving shipyard that the government sold.
Olatunji stressed the need for the government to recognize the strategic importance of shipyards and take necessary actions to revitalize them. He added that the sale of Nigerdock has led to a reliance on neighbouring countries for ship repairs, raising concerns about Nigeria’s self-sufficiency in maritime operations.
“In the past, there was Nigerdock; it was a shipyard, but what happened? The government sold it, and we now go to neighboring countries to do ship repairs. I hope one day, the government will consider the strategic importance of the shipyard and do the needful”, he said.
On his part Aminu Umar, the President of the Nigeria Chamber of Shipping (NCS) offered insights into the challenges of establishing a shipbuilding industry. He highlighted the critical role of a robust steel industry and the availability of machinery and equipment for ship construction.
Umar emphasized the need for proximity to steel industry and supportive policies to encourage the establishment of essential components for shipbuilding within the nation.
“Ship building as you know encompasses a lot of things. You have to have closeness or availability to huge steel industry, because ship is built of steel. So if you do not have a steel industry within or close to you and you want to start ship building, how do you do that? Secondly, you need where you have machinery and equipment such as the engine makers who are the ones that make the engines that power those ships or boats. So if you do not have them close by or you don’t have a policy that encourages them to set up in your nation, then it will be difficult for you to have a ship building industry in the society” he stated.
