…Continued from last edition
Stakeholders in Nigeria started feeling the impact of Abuja MOU since you assumed office. Where did we miss it with the past administrations? What was the disconnect?
I give kudos to the past regime, they did their utmost best. I will speak like Isaac Newton when he was applauded on the great things he has done. He said, look, he was able to achieve the much he did because he stood in the shoulders of giants.
The past regime set the foundations down, I came in just to build up from where they stopped. With my knowledge as a seafarer and also having been a Port State Control officer too, I built up on the foundations they have laid. So, I clap for them, they did their best, I am working with them.
In the past one year, we signed an MOU with the training institutions. We have signed a training MOU because for now, there’s no maritime training institution that is having a training programme for Port State Control officers.
So, we have signed an MOU with the Regional Maritime University in Ghana and hopefully, before the end of this year, they will start training because in the time past, we have to go to Italy for such trainings. So, with this, within this year, the Regional Maritime University will start the training of the Port State Control officers in West and Central African countries.
We have also progressed with the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron. We were actually supposed to sign the agreement in December, but due to certain, not really a major issue, but just more of representation from one of the stakeholders, we couldn’t have it signed. I am very sure with the current Acting Rector, we worked very well with the last Rector, we had started the discussion with the last Rector and the current Rector, Dr. Okonna is bent on having to run with us. So, hopefully, we get this agreement signed in the first quarter of this year and also targeting starting the same training within the year.
And people will say, oh! You are having two universities running this programme, this sky is wide enough for the stars to shine. There’s no training institution that is running it. So, having two or three maritime academies in West and Central region running this training programme is a plus for us. In fact, other regions may now consider sending their people down to us because I am sure at the end of the day, it might be cheaper than sending them to Italy.
So, sir, in all these trainings, agreements and MOUs, what are the expected impact on the maritime community in Nigeria as a whole?
Usually, the way we were trained at sea, the number one priority is the safety of life at sea. Followed by protection of environment and followed by protection of assets. So, if the highest safety standards is being maintained, we will have less accidents, less incidents onboard ships.In fact, we should aim at no fatality because every life matters. So, nobody should die onboard the vessel and nobody should be maimed onboard the vessel.
But then again, we often narrow minded zooming in on the vessel but don’t forget that the operating theatre of the vessel is the port. The vessel gets to the port, cargo operation is carried out and so, even the port workers are also exposed. There have been incidents onboard vessels that the people from the Ports Authority have also lost their lives. So, protection of life, we have less incidents this no fatality onboard the vessel, none at the port.
On the environment, we were lucky, well, that’s also a product of hard work, there has been no pollution cases reported relating it to foreign vessel being involved in an accident in our region thus losing so much oil or effulgent into the sea. Waste dumping is also covered in the Marine Environment Protection Convention. Our Port State Control officers, when they go onboard vessels, they also inspect that.
Of course, if there’s any incline to the fact that a vessel is no complying, that vessel will be detained. And so, we have also tightened the noose with respect to pollution, waste dumping and so on. Granted, sometimes, we will have errant vessels but when they are caught, the long arm of the law, will work through and of course, they will be apprehended and penalties will be meted on them.
So, you can actually see that for operational risk because there’s also the issue of proficiency of the crew, we also inspect that too. You can’t employ substandard crew onboard the vessel, so the crew onboard the vessel are all certified and if you have certified seafarers, the chances of making mistakes, just having issues with operational pollution will be reduced. So, yes! We have also, positively, achieved that too.
We had a training programme for the Ports Authorities for them to also know how they can synergize with us. We are looking at the pilots being the eyes of the Port State Control officers. If you are piloting a vessel, probably you noticed something on that vessel being erratic, you can easily call the Port State Control officers and report such a vessel or there is an issue on air pollution, if you see a vessel that is smoking too much, you can also call the Port State Control officers and report them. Or you noticed a vessel pumping out effluent, pumping out dirty ballast into the sea, you can also call to report.
So, we are looking at overt and covert operations. That, yes, we have eyes there, secret service working for us, reporting and then, of course, inspectors will go and inspect and apprehend the vessel. So, environment too is protected.
So, we move to the next level now, it’s actually four levels. We moved to the third level which is the protection of assets. A vessel could cost, depending on whether is is a second hand or new vessel between ten million up to two hundred and fifty something million dollars especially for LNG carriers. Often in tankers, when there’s an explosion, the owner gets knocked out , that’s somebody’s asset lost.
So, if you have proficient seafarers, complying with all the Conventions, because there’s an eye, don’t forget, Port State Control is an enforcement arm. It’s not just enough having rules and laws and Conventions and protocols or treaties but somebody must ensure that these things are being enforced. So, when you have this enforcement, it means people are much more careful, so ships are protected. That’s why it’s called safety of lives at sea.
So, lives, vessels are all protected. So, that asset is protected and what happens if asset is secured? Employment opportunities will remain, every vessel that is gone means certain number of people are out of employment.
Protection of other aspects of the Blue Economy dependant on the safety of sea. If there’s pollution on the Nigerian waters, what happens to the fish? Will you fish? So, the artisans will be out of job, maritime tourism will come back to zero, the port could actually be shut. So, that knock on effect from one, two, three is also taken care of.
So, that’s why in shipping, when you talk about the blue economy, maritime safety is core towards protecting the environment and the maritime clusters.
Photo: Captain Sunday Umoren, Secretary General of the Abuja MOU.
Send your press invite, news, press releases/articles to augustinenwadinamuo@yahoo.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @PrimetimeRepor1 and on Facebook on facebook.com/primetimereporters or call the editor on 07030661526.
