MARITIME WORKERS ASSOCIATIONS ACCUSE NIMASA OF NEGLECT IN RECENT VESSEL FIRE INCIDENT

Tayo Oladipupo

The Nigerian Trawler Owners Association (NITOA) and the Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association have accused the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) over failure to respond swiftly to distress call on the recent fire incident that gutted MV ORC IV off Bonny channel.

The duo expressed displeasure over negligence on the part Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (RMRCC) unit of NIMASA leaving two seafarers missing.

Though official of the agency explained that they responded to the distress call put across by owners of the vessel, the trawler group lamented that the Search and Rescue unit of NIMASA failed to live up to the responsibility, which in turn led to the disaster at sea.

Speaking with journalists against the backdrop of the recent fire outbreak at sea, president of NITOA, Akinsola Amire berated the agency in charge of safety at sea of inefficiency in carrying out its rescue operations as at when due.

According to him, the recent fire incident that led to two seafarers currently missing and a badly damaged trawler ORC IV would have been averted if the agency had responded in good time.

Recall that on 6th of February, the fishing company lost a vessel, ORC IV to inferno off bonny anchorage in Rivers state after two days of burning without help despite repeated calls to the apex maritime agency.

While expressing disappointment over the way the incident was handled by NIMASA which eventually led to inability to put out the fire, Amire noted that the apex regulatory agency does not have the wherewithal to address safety issues at sea.

According to him, when NIMASA was contacted about the incident, the agency claimed to have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NLNG on occasion of fire incidents but added that “instead of NLNG to salvage the situation, it was asking for a contract before it could carry out the salvage operations.”

Amire alleged that “NLNG claimed to have gone to the vessel location and reported that the vessel was beyond salvage, meanwhile they did not go to where the location of the incident but later asked to sign a contract before the salvage operations could be carried out.”

He said, “We must call a spade a spade. It is me today, it can be anybody tomorrow. The question is what are they (NIMASA) coordinating, is it just to bear the name?

“If you are given a responsibility, you have to perform. What is Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre doing? Just taking reports and doing nothing.

“They said they contacted NLNG and NLNG said it was beyond salvage. Whereas they never left for anywhere then the second day, somebody was asking for a contract.

“I am saying this because Nigeria belongs to all of us, if we see something that is not working, let us say so. I think somebody should explain how they do their search and rescue. If it didn’t happen to me and I see all the big names, I will think they are doing something. But now I know there are big names doing nothing.

“Thank God that we didn’t totally lose the vessel and unfortunately, we are still looking for two crew members but probably if there was response in quick time, it might not be as bad as it came to be.

Also speaking, Secretary General, Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, Comrade Julius Efokpor said, “Based on the information we gathered, we learnt NIMASA did not respond to the situation and it’s against the Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) convention as a regulatory agency.

“If they send the right signal around as at the time of the distress call, I believe vessels around would have been able to assist the crew and the vessel in question.

When contacted for response, an official of the Search and Rescue unit, (name withheld) said the” RMRCC operation is capital intensive and NIMASA cannot shoulder everything to handle issues of safety at sea alone because it is subjected to the will power.

He noted that NIMASA has other stakeholders in the maritime that assist whenever there are distress calls based on proximity to the location of a particular incident.

“We got the alert around 8.30pm and we contacted our partner in that axis but we had network issues that period.

“We contacted NLNG to assist and rescue the vessel from sinking.”