754 Vessels Dump Eastern Ports Over Pirate Attacks

By Funso Olojo

Operators at Eastern Ports are yet to heave any sigh of relief as a total of 754 vessels dumped the Eastern ports in the country within a period of three years due to shallow depth, sea robberies and pirate attacks which are unabated in the region. The eastern ports comprise Calabar, Onne, Delta and Rivers ports, all in the restive Niger Delta region.

‎The ports, it was observed, are the shortest distances for haulage of cargoes for catchment states of Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Edo, Kogi, Abuja, Ondo, Benue, Kastina and Kano. The ports also have quick identification and documentation of cargoes and excellent delivery of cargo procedures. Aside the shallow depth, the ports operate on security level two on the International Ships Ports Security (ISPS) Code 2 due to insecurity in the region. As a result of this, the number of vessels that berth at these ports receded from 2,268 vessels in 2013 to 1514 in 2016 due to insecurity and shallow draft that wouldn’t allow big vessels berth at the ports.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the number of vessels that berthed at the Delta port dropped from 609 in 2013 to 433 in 2016, while the Gross Registered Tonnage at the port also dropped from 8,687,160 in 2013 to 6,177,809 in 2016. Also, vessels that berthed at the Rivers port dropped from 439 in 2013 to 287 in 2016, while the Gross Registered Tonnage at the port also dropped from 6,761,057 in 2014 to 4,560,844 in 2016. The number of vessels that berthed at the Calabar port dropped from 373 in 2013 to 189 in 2016, while the Gross Registered Tonnage, which peaked at 4,087,599 in 2015 dropped to 3,803,199 in 2016. The number of vessels that berthed at the Onne port dropped from 847 in 2014 to 605 in 2016, while the Gross Registered Tonnage at the port also dropped from 43,916,846 in 2014 to 35,937,547 in 2016.

Speaking in Portharcourt during a stakeholders’ meeting, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and stakeholders in the maritime industry, decried incessant attacks on vessels by pirates on the country’s waterways.

The Managing Director of NPA, Ms Hadiza Usman, who was represented by the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mohammed Bello, said, that, the NPA was collaborating with the Nigerian Navy to provide security for vessels.

According to her, the narrow and shallow Bonny Channel did not help matters as it made Nigeria Liquefied Gas vessels passing through it were susceptible to attacks by pirates.

The Managing Director emphasized the need to dualise the channel to allow two vessels to pass through it at the same time. She however said the dualization would involve the Federal Ministry of Transport, NPA and others. However, stakeholders had earlier noted that there was the need to address the insecurity challenge at the port as a matter of urgency.

“During one of the attacks, crew members ran into the engine room to hide while the vessel floated’’. A situation described “risky’’.

According to the stakeholders, management should also tackle the dredging and dualisation of the Bonny Channel. The stakeholders said some importers had diverted their ships to the Republic of Benin to discharge their cargoes; a situation they said had caused loss of revenue to the Federal Government. #