Maritime
Sierra Leone Assures Support For MOWCA’s Safety Navigation
The Secretary General Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), Dr Paul Adalikwu, has received additional support from the government of Sierra Leone in the organisation’s drive to reduce maritime accidents and promote safe navigation in West and Central Africa.
Adalikwu, who was in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital, to meet with the country’s Minister of Transport and Aviation, Ambassador Fanday Turay, expressed MOWCA’s concern over the various marine accidents involving ferries, boats, barges and other watercrafts, said such accidents are avoidable when safety measures and practices are adhered to.
The MOWCA SG decried the loss of lives and investments occasioned by the various marine accidents and formally invited Sierra Leone to the regional workshop on safety of inland waterways and passenger ferries in West and Central Africa planned to hold in Libreville, Gabon, from 15-17 July, 2024.
He added that MOWCA is organising the training in conjunction with the IMO and International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF).
He drew attention to a boat accident that occurred in Gabon in 2023 in which over 60 persons died and seven were declared missing, saying the incident prompted MOWCA to approach Gabon to offer assistance in planning the workshop .
Adalikwu informed the Minister that MOWCA is offering maritime training scholarship to 10 Sierra Leonian youths at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, as part of capacity building drive.
While urging West and Central African countries to prioritise training of operators of boats and ferries, he identified that some of the marine accidents in the sub region involved persons not trained and without any formal record of their particulars.
He advised that water transportation being a critical mode of logistics should not be left unregulated or made an all comers affair in the interest of passengers and safety and avoiding commercial loses to trader victims.
He further explained that the workshop, which will feature training and retraining of operators in the inland waterways space, will serve as a “Train The Trainers” session, which is planned to be cascaded down the line.
According to him, “Our training faculty for the workshop will take participants through basic safety measures that are in sync with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Safety of Lives at Sea (SOLAS) and basics of the Standard of Training Certification and Watch keeping (STCW) as they apply to inland waterways, especially in areas of emergency and occupational safety for smaller platforms.
“We know SOLAS is tailored towards sea going vessels, but measures for accident prevention and response mechanism to emergencies in inland waterways are similar.
“Findings have indicated that most people operating small boats for commercial transportation are not formally trained, which poses great danger to travelers along the inland waterways.
“We are also looking at rules of the road for water transportation, particularly on ways to avoid collision in the event of crafts approaching each other”, he said.
The SG gave his host a copy of MOWCA’s Publication of Annual Report of activities which includes meeting of the Council Ministers with the IMO in 2022 in London, leading to the establishment of a MOWCA-IMO Joint Action Plan on areas of collaboration and cooperation.
Consequently, the Committee of Experts from member States produced six Working Groups on identified areas of needs will meet in Abidjan next month.
He further informed that the Working Groups were inaugurated and had been meeting virtually, with a physical meeting coming up in Abidjan from 6-10 of May, 2024 for which invitations had been extended to Sierra Leone and other countries.
Responding, Ambassador Fanday Turay expressed gratitude to Adalikwu and commended the zeal of the SG in reviving the organisation.
The Minister recalled the age long existing relationship between Nigeria and Sierra Leone and in particular the support from Nigeria during their crises period.
He congratulated the SG for the good work that he has done since he came on board MOWCA and the collaborations he has established with other international organizations.
Turay stated that Sierra Leone was reviewing its maritime documents for onward submission to the Parliament and Cabinet and assured that this will help address such challenges that affect the country’s commitment to international bodies.
The Minister thanked the SG for the 10 scholarship slots at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, noting that most of the Sierra Leonian seafarers were aging and needing younger replacement, hence he views the scholarship as a good way to go.
On the waterway transport, the Minister informed the SG that they sought the assistance of the UNDP to support in the building of jetties, saying that this will go a long way in their transport masterplan.
He assured the SG of maximum cooperation at all times .
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
The former President of the Nigeria Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Eugene Nweke, has said that only a political will would make the 24-hour port operations achievable.
Nweke made the disclosure during the Fifth Town Hall meeting organised by JournalNG held in Lagos on Thursday.
“24 hour port operations is achievable if government would give a clear order to the effect.
“Government should get a regulatory agency to supervise port operations accurately for monitoring and evaluation.
“Once everyone knows what to do, operators will be guided. It will not be a situation where government issues port order without monitoring and no enforcement.
“So, we need a political will to drive our ports for 24-hour port operations in Nigeria”, Nweke said.
He said government agencies should see the transformation as a necessity, same as port stakeholders.
Nweke continued that collaboration and partnership among stakeholders would enable both government and port users achieve 24-hour port operations.
He said any identified bottlenecks delaying the achievement of 24 hours ports operations should be removed and sanctioned accordingly.
He noted that port communities are meant for commercial activities, adding that necessary infrastructure should be considered in the ports to avoid unnecessary human element.
Nweke urged government to improve on infrastructure to make the ports more attractive and friendly for customers.
Also in his presentation, the Chairman, Nigeria Ports Consultative Council (NPCC), Mr. Bolaji Sunmola, said quest to actualise 24-hour port operations in Nigerian seaports was no longer aspirational but necessary.
He said with a carefully sequenced strategy anchored on technology, sustainability, and stakeholder alignment, Nigerian ports could be positioned as efficient, secure, and economically transformative assets.
As Chairman of NPCC, he reaffirmed commitment to this vision by inviting all stakeholders-MDAS, port terminal operators, energy providers, transport unions, and investors to join in executing this transformation.
The Assistant Comptroller, Nigeria Customs Service (NSC), Abass Oladepo, said Customs had been operating 24 hours port operations.
He said at Ports and Terminal Multi Services Ltd. (PTML) command the Customs had commenced 2-hour cargo clearance, adding that averagely in one-year the Command had achieved less than 6-hour ports clearance.
The town hall meeting was to sensitise stakeholders on Customs transformation known as B’Odogwu and urge importers to engage in honest declaration to enable them achieve few minutes cargo clearance.
In his contribution, the Managing Director, ENL Consortium, one of the terminal operators, Mr. Mark Walsh, urged Nigeria banks attached to ports cargo clearance operations to improve their operation to avoid delays in payments.
He commended the Federal Government and the Nigerian Ports Authority for modernising the ports, adding that there was need for 24-hour lighting at the ports, to stop them from running generators 24/7.
He noted that ports operation needs more lighting, especially for security during the night operations.
The General Manager, Trade Modernisation Project (TMP), Mr. Ahmed Ogunsola, urged stakeholders to collaborate and point out challenges hampering 24 hour port operations to provide solutions.
Ogunsola said TMP worked with the NCS to enhance cargo clearance by providing technology backbone, building capacity and to enhance sustainability.
He said 24 hour port operations was achievable with the collaboration of port users.
“The TMP had agreement with the Federal Government to provide 67 scanners and presently we have successfully brought five scanners into the country to modernise Nigeria Customs Service and facilitate trade”, Ogunsola said.
In his opening remarks, the Publisher, JournalNG magazine, Mr. Ismail Aniemu, said the forum gave the stakeholders opportunity to interact and come with recommendations to guide government in policy making.
Aniemu said many ports in Nigeria need to turn to smart ports, adding that Nigeria had competent expertise that would assist government to actualise the dream.
He said some of the port users were operating 24 hours and there was need fornit to be sustained collectively.
Local rice merchants, under the aegis of Rice Millers, Importers and Distributors of Nigeria (RMIDN) have expressed displeasure over the upsurge in the smuggling of rice into the country through neighbouring Cotonou, Benin Republic.
According to RMIDN, Nigeria has lost an estimated N60 billion as a result of rice smuggling.
“Mostly Indian and Thailand rice that are imported into Cotonou find their way into Nigeria illegally with Western Creeks serving as gateway to the highest degree of these illicit imports”, RMIDN said.
Speaking exclusively with The Tide in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer, Bayuf Farm limited, Chief Kabiru Idowu, noted the large scale concealment in trucks purportedly laden with dutiable goods to the fleet of vehicles under the cover of darkness, saying “Western Marine Creeks, is indeed a place to watch, if the economy of the nation must be protected”.
According to him, “the volume of imports for which revenue is lost on the part of the government may far outweigh the generated revenue and create an adverse affect on government policy to encourage local production of some products.
“It would also be recalled that in December, 2024, the Customs Area Controller, Federal Operations Unit, Compt. Kola Oladeji, disclosed to journalists at a briefing in the Command that smuggling of rice through the Western Creeks is on the increase, thereby placing a question mark on the proficiency of the Marine Command of the Customs.
According to him, the areas of water which flows into the land accounts for a higher degree of rice smuggling, adding that there is inlet through water behind Alaba market where smugglers are coming, with various items but with rice topping the lists.
Also, Mr. Tapenu Michael noted that importers of Nigeria bound goods through the Cotonou Port see the western waterways as most viable entry point either for evasion or concealment of prohibited items.
He emphasized that most items that fall under Federal Government import prohibition list or statutory barred from entering the country through land borders find their ways through the creeks.
The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has issued an urgent call to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) management and handlers of the eto electronic call-up system, urging immediate action to address what they describe as unfriendly policies hampering the direct delivery of cargo from the Lagos Port.
According to the Chairman of NARTO Metropolitan Unit, Abdullahi Moh’d Inuwa, the new policies under the eto call-up system have led to significant delays in truck approvals and discouraged truck operators from servicing the port.
“Direct delivery of cargo requires between 48 to 54 trucks daily per vessel, and with multiple vessels, at least 120 to 150 trucks are needed.
“However, the current approval process is slow, and many truckers now prefer loading outside the port due to the multiple levies and restrictions imposed”, Inuwa stated.
He warned that these developments threaten the business interests of consignees and importers, with many considering diverting cargo to other ports.
“Trucks are being forced to offload inside sheds, incurring extra charges and demurrage, which are eventually passed on to end users. Despite government efforts to reduce duties on agricultural products, the call-up process remains a major bottleneck”, he added.
The trucker said prompt intervention is crucial to restore confidence and ensure the smooth evacuation of cargo, which is vital for Nigeria’s import-dependent economy.
Truckers and port users have repeatedly complained about extortion by security agencies, racketeering in the call-up system, and policy inconsistencies that have resulted in gridlock, delays, and financial losses.
Industry sources confirm that the current system often favors certain operators, leaving others stranded and forcing importers to pay exorbitant fees to favours revalidate delivery orders.
NARTO is calling for a review of the eto call-up system to ensure fairness and efficiency, warning that continued inefficiencies could lead to further congestion, trade disruptions, and a shift of cargo traffic away from Apapa Port.
The association also appealed to security agencies to stop the harassment and extortion of truck drivers, and urged the NPA to harmonize safety requirements to avoid multiple taxation.
By: Stories by Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos