Author: Saint Augustine

The lack of ship building yards in Nigeria, capital flight as a result of the purchase of new and second hand ships outside the shores of Nigeria, the non-participation of indigenous ship owners in the carriage of local cargo and the absence of a national shipping line had been blamed as a major set back to the growth of the Nigerian economy. This was the views of the Marine Engineers and Naval Architects (MENA) Division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) who gathered to brainstorm in Lagos Tuesday on the occasion of the 3rd Annual conference and Annual General…

The Marine Engineers and Naval Architects (MENA) Division of the Nigerian society of Engineers (NSE) has called for the amendment of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and safety Agency (NIMASA) Act of 2007, the Cabotage Act of 2003 an the Nigerian Oil and gas Industry Content Development Act of 2010 to take care of the development and maintenance of the dock facilities in the country. This was part of the Communique issued at the end of a one day Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Division held in Lagos on Tuesday with the theme,” The Development of marine Structures in…

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said that the nation’s Cargo throughput in the first half of 2014 recorded an increase of 15.4 percent with 41, 317, 962 million metric tonnes as against 35,812,858 million metric tonnes it recorded over the corresponding period in 2013. This was contained in the 1st Half 2014 report released by NPA on Tuesday as was signed by the Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs of NPA, mr. Musa Iliya and made available to Primetime Reporters. A breakdown of the Cargo throughput revealed that Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) shipment stood at 10, 418, 248 metric tonnes…

The Nigerian chamber of Shipping (NCS) has said that the maritime sector in Nigeria was capable of turning around the fortunes of this country if adequate policies were put on ground and followed up. The Vice president pf the Chamber, Mr. Andrew Isichei who made this known at a function held recently in Lagos stated that this was possible considering that many other countries of the world were living on nothing other than the maritime generated revenue. Isichei observed that countries like Greece, Philippines and India with population less than that of Lagos State in the south west Nigeria were…

The Rector, Certified Institute of Shipping (CIS), Rev. Dr. Alex Okwuashi has warned that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety agency (NIMASA) may have been overstretched beyond its limits on account of many responsibilities that the agency now has. Okwuashi who spoke in an exclusive interview with Primetime Reporters in Lagos recently apparently was reacting on the recent ground breaking ceremony in Delta State of the new Nigerian Maritime University (NMU) by President Goodluck Jonathan under the auspices of NIMASA. While pointing out that those who fashioned out roles for the agency wanted it to perform every function warning that…

In an apparent move to curtail the excesses of the Resident reporters who often times speculate on the removal or otherwise of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Alhaji Dr. Dikko Inde Abdullahi, the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has warned the Resident Reporters to desist from such act as it was capable of distracting the officers of the government from discharging their legitimate duties. In a two paged letter addressed to the president, Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN), Mr. Bolaji Akinola and made available to Primetime Reporters, the Deputy National President Seaport, Prince Obums Anene urged the…

Nigerians who wish to engage in the import and export business have been asked to seek guidance and enlightenment and get adequately equipped before venturing into the murky waters of international trade. The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Barr. Hassan Bello gave this advise in Warri, the Delta State capital on Thursday at the 8th Annual Shipping Career Summit organized by Nigeria’s leading maritime media firm, Ships & Ports Communication Company. Speaking on the topic “How To Become An Effective Exporter/Importer”, Bello said that the while the importing and exporting business is “very exciting and potentially…

…Continued from the last edition Rev. Dr. Alex Favour Okwuashi is the Rector, Certified Institute of Shipping, Nigeria. In this interview with our correspondent, he bares his mind on the shipping sector in the last six months, the Nigeria Maritime University infrastructure deficit in the maritime industry and many more. Excerpts; It appeared that the awareness of the shipping sector is growing by the day as against what it used to be about a decade or two ago. What would you attribute the rise in the awareness and the interest the sector is generating in young Nigerians to? It may…

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi recently spoke to some journalists on the stakeholders conference on the partnership between NIMASA and the Nigerian Air Force recently held in Lagos, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two agencies and other security agencies and what the Nigerian Economy stands to gain from such partnerships. Our Correspondent was there. Excerpt; Could you please throw more light this collaboration between the Air Force and NIMASA? The collaboration is aimed at ensuring maritime safety and security and to enforce search and rescue operations in…

History was on Monday made in the maritime industry as the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) jointly held a two-day conference to sensitize the maritime stakeholders on the existing partnership between the two agencies for effective maritime safety and security, search and rescue operations. The conference tagged,” maritime Stakeholders Sensitization Conference on the partnership between Nigerian Maritime Administration and safety agency and the Nigerian air Force”, saw the Honourable Minister of transport, Sen. Idris Umar, the Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi, the Chief of Air Staff, Air, Marshal Adesola…