Cabotage law: NIMASA begins clampdown on erring vessels

Tayo Oladipupo |

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said it has commenced full implementation of the Cabotage Act by clamping down on vessels operating Nigerian flag with foreign crew.

Director General (DG) of the NIMASA, Dakuku Peterside stated this at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) held in Lagos at the weekend

Peterside was represented at the meeting by the Director of Maritime Labour Services of the agency, Alhaji Ibrahim Jibril.

He disclosed that the agency had put in place measures to ensure Nigerian seafarers man and crew vessels operating in the nation’s territorial waters adding that Nigeria had zero tolerance for waivers.

According to him, the agency had already commenced the enforcement and some vessels have been detained for flouting the Marine Notice issued in line with the directive.

Speaking further, the apex maritime agency boss stated that the NIMASA is set to train about 500 to 700 cadets before the end of 2018.

This he said was in continuation of its National Seafarers’ Development Programme (NSDP) where many Nigerian have been trained in foreign countries in various courses in seafaring.

The DG added that the agency had put measures on ground for full implementation of the Act by opening an electronic register of all maritime labour in order to ascertain the number of seafarers and also to be able to place Nigerian seafarers in any seafaring job opening.

He said about 150 cadets have been sent to Egypt to study as another set of 100 cadets are already studying in Philippines.

“This year, we will make sure that we send between 500 and 700 seafarers for training this year.”

Speaking on implementation of Cabotage, Peterside said, “The PG’s concerns that he has raised are noted but I will like to inform the maritime industry that on the part of NIMASA as a regulator, we have put in measures to curtail all these and see to the full implementation of the Cabotage Act in Nigeria particularly on the four pillars that has to do with shipping building, carriage of cargoes and of course, the manning aspect of it.

“What we have put in place recently is to come up with electronic register of all maritime labour that would enable us plan better for the industry so that wherever there is identified job for seafarers, it will be carried out by Nigerians.

“In line with Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) order 4, we have come out in terms of our enforcement to see that the Cabotage Act is fully enforced,” he stated.