NIGERIA MARITIME THIS WEEK: A RECAP OF EVENTS THAT HAPPENED DURING THE WEEK

MONDAY AUGUST 12

Customs Boss Cautions Travellers against Currency Trafficking

Air travellers through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja were on Monday counselled to avoid bringing goods that are prohibited by the law into the country and also avoid exporting prohibitions items like endangered species of animals, hard currency and others.

The Customs Area Controller of the MMIA Command of Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Wale Adeniyi gave the counsel in a statement in Lagos on Monday to mark the 2019 Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

“My message to them is to obey the extant rules, by declaring such things when they come to the airport. There is a very strict penalty, if not declared; those money could be confiscated and of course, just as a lot of endangered species that international laws and convention try to protect must be protected; for instance, elephant tusk, pangolin, some plants and animals that have been banned, those are the kind of things we should not travel with, out of the country.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13

NISA alleges Navy NIMASA, other of dwindling fortunes of shipping

A group of ship owners under the aegis of Nigerian Ship Owners Association (NISA) has said over two million shipping jobs have been lost in Nigeria within a decade, saying the trend continues.

The association’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Otunba Sola Olatunji accused the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) of being responsible for the dwindling fortune of shipping business in Nigeria.

We are not responsible for Every Delay Encountered at the Port – Customs

The Nigeria Customs Service has said that it was wrong for stakeholders to blame the Customs officers for every delay encountered in the cargo clearance processes, saying that cargo clearance is a chain process and everybody has a role to play.

Speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, Spokesperson of the Tin Can Island Command of customs, Mr. Uche Ejesieme the role of the customs is divided into two; examination and release of cargo.

We don’t Have N200, 000 To Bribe Security Agents to Access Apapa, Says NUPENG

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) said its tanker drivers do not pay bribes to security agents before they can access Apapa port area to load petroleum products.

The union also denied that security agencies were collecting as much as N200, 000 and N150, 000 from tanker drivers in order to allow them block the access road with their trucks.

Chairman of NUPENG, Lagos Zone, Mr Tayo Aboyeji, denied the bribe allegation, saying that its members do not offer anyone bribe to allow them park their vehicles or move on the road.

THURSDAY AUGUST 15

NIMASA Evacuates Crew From Fire-Stricken Tanker off Nigeria

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has evacuated crew members of a 7,541 cbm tanker after the ship caught fire off the Nigerian coast.

The incident involving the vessel Sea Voyager occurred at the Lagos anchorage on August 15, according to the foremost maritime agency in Nigeria, NIMASA.

As informed, the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (RMRCC) at Kirikiri mobilized firefighters from other agencies including the NPA to put out the fire.

NPA Revisits Resuscitation of Calabar Port

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said it would revisit the entire procurement process of the Calabar port.

In a chat with newsmen, the general manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Engr. Adam’s Jatto also disclosed that the authority has started steps for to rehabilitation of the collapsed quay apron and other facilities at the Port harcourt port, Rivers state.

ANLCA President, Tony Iju vows not to resign, promises to resolve crisis

The National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Hon. Tony Iju has said he would not resign his position in the association despite criticisms from stakeholders.

He made the statement in response to a statement issued by Joe Sanni, allegedly suspended National Publicity Secretary of the Association.

Joe Sanni had issued a statement last week, among other things insisting that the only way forward to resolving ANLCA crisis was for Tony Iju Nwabunike to “immediately call a mini National Executive Council meeting with the sole agenda to reverse those very injurious injustices with unreserved apologies, recognize the BOT led by Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, adopt all actions taken by that Board, plead for the withdrawal of all cases instituted by aggrieved members and then call a general reconciliatory meeting for a cessation-of-hostilities, pronouncements to the general public and to be widely publicized.”

Escravos Channel has been abandoned for 35 Years, Says NPA

The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman has disclosed that the Escravos Channel leading to Delta Ports has been abandoned for thirty five years before the authority decided to dredge and increase the draft of the channel.

Hadiza however announced that Escravos channel has now been dredged from its initial 3.4meters to 7 meters to accommodate bigger vessels.

The Escravos River is a 35-mile (56-kilometre) westerly watercourse linked by a maze of interconnected waterways to the Forcados, Warri, Benin, and Ethiope rivers.

FRIDAY AUGUST 16

Nigerian travelling with fake Cote d’Ivoire passport nabbed in India

A Nigerian, Ndukwe Fidelis, 35, has been arrested in India for travelling into the country with a fake Cote D’Ivoire passport.

Fidelis was said to have been deported in 2015 for overstaying his visa and a Look Out Notice issued against him.

It was reported that on August 2, Fidelis had arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to take a flight to Turkey, bearing a Cote D’Ivoire passport, which identified him as Kouame Aristide.