NIMASA committed to developing policies for sustainable growth – Stakeholders
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has said that it is committed to developing policies for instituting a sustainable growth trajectory, capable of positioning maritime as a veritable alternative revenue stream in the face of declining revenues from Oil and Gas.
This was contained in the communique issued at the end of a stakeholders meeting organised by the NIMASA as the agency noted that it was cognisance of the reality of the arrested development of the Nigerian shipping industry owing to the non-realization of evident potentials across the broad range of industry sub-sectors.
It also said that it was desirous of promulgating policies that will promote effective maritime governance in Nigeria
NIMASA assured stakeholders of its mandate to develop indigenous shipping industry as it must explore every available instrument to fulfil its mandate in this regard.
At the meeting, it was resolved hat NIMASA should accord serious consideration to the acquisition of a training ship for the benefit of eligible Nigerian cadet seafarers.
Stakeholders also asked NIMASA to propose to Government, the possibility of adopting the policy of ‘Motorways of the sea’ as a means of catalysing the growth of inland waterway transportation and allied commercial activities.
NIMASA was also mandated to expedite action on the disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, CVFF, and consider utilizing the Fund to re-finance expensive commercial bank loan facilities taken by registered Nigerian ship owners.
Parts of the communique reads, “That the DG NIMASA should remain unrelenting in his commitment to repositioning and re-structuring the Nigerian Ship Registration Office for optimal performance and to achieve the potential of the Nigerian flag as a catalyst for indigenous shipping development.
“That NIMASA should engage Nigerian shipowners with a view to finding out their challenges and exploring means of halting the steady decline in the size of registered Nigerian tonnage.
“That the National Assembly should promulgate a law mandating policy consistency on the part of Government and its maritime Agencies as the trend of policy revisionism over the years has been indicted for contributing significantly to the slow growth profile of the industry.
“That Government should address the issues responsible for the inability of Nigerian ports to compete with their regional neighbours to combat the trend of significant revenue losses in our ports.
“That NIMASA should take urgent steps to address the redundancy of the Eastern and Central ports with a view to rejuvenating commercial activity therein and reducing the maritime and road congestion in Lagos ports and environs. “That Government must urgently explore adopting multi-modalism to boost efficiency and reduce congestion in our ports and their environs.
“That NIMASA should take steps to compel port facility operators and International Oil Companies (IOCs) to appoint only Stevedoring companies appointed by NIMASA in the pilotage districts given the far-reaching impact of the proliferation of illegal stevedoring companies on security and revenue generation in the ports.
“That Government should promote the establishment of Container holding bays to prevent the turning of Nigerian roadsides and bridges into container holding bays and parking lots.
“That Government should identify, recognize and empower a particular Agency to bear responsibility for policing Nigerian waterways.
“That NIMASA should intensify efforts to cause NNPC to effect a change in the Terms of Trade for lifting of Nigerian crude oil from Free on Board (FOB) to Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) as this will create unprecedented opportunities of economic growth for Nigerian tanker trade.
“That NIMASA should take urgent steps to address the prevalence of hostile economic and operational climate, which has caused the drastic reduction in the number of operational fishing trawler companies in Nigeria.
“That NIMASA should look into providing large capacity oily waste processing facility in required areas of the Nigerian coastline.
“That there is need for a concerted effort to address the problems confronting port terminal operations such as insecurity, lack of public utilities, duplication of Agencies, community challenges and delays occasioned by vessel boarding by enforcement Agencies.
“That NIMASA should urgently address problems associated with the operations of licensed manning Agents such as delay in issuance of licenses, proliferation of illegal manning Agents and the upsurge in armed attacks on maritime workers in the ports.
“That NIMASA should consider extending its training programmes to maritime workers in various maritime zones to engender an all-inclusive policy implementation, and
“That NIMASA should utilize its marine safety and maritime labour mandate to review the case of collapsed jetty in Calabar which poses substantial hazard to dockworkers compelled to work under the very precarious environment.”
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