Stakeholder charges NIMASA to treat ship owners equally

Tayo Oladipupo

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has been enjoined to eschew disparity in the engagement of foreign ship owners and their indigenous counterparts over training of cadets onboard vessels trading in Nigeria territorial waters.

This is coming on the heels of complaints among maritime stakeholders that some indigenous ship owners reject cadets on their vessels for sea time training.

It is believed that NIMASA pays foreign vessel owners to take cadets on sea time training, while no offer is given to their indigenous counterparts.

This, according to a NIMASA consultant to the International Labour Organization (ILO) Thomas Kemewerigha, could be responsible for why indigenous ship owners might reject cadets onboard their vessels.

The former National President of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officer and Water Transport Senior Staff Association (NMNOWTSSA) Kemewerigha in a chat recently charged the agency to liaise with indigenous ship owners to find lasting solution to the issue of sea time experience and job placement for Nigerian cadets .

He further stated that some of the indigenous operators, who engage cadets on board offer them some allowance as well as provide accommodation for the Seafarers in their vessels with no attendant benefit from the apex maritime regulatory agency.

Kemewerigha said that if NIMASA is truly paying foreign ship owners to engage cadets, nothing stops it from extending same gesture to indigenous vessel owners.

“I was informed that an arrangement was made long ago those seafarers were getting assistance from foreign countries on foreign trips.

“There are lots of speculations that money was involved, that they have a consultant who arranged for the seatime and money was paid for the seatime.

“If it is true that they pay for cadets on foreign ships, I want to still believe that is the reason the indigenous ship owners are refusing to address the issue of Nigerian cadets onboard their vessels because Nigeria is not giving them concession when it comes to ship registration, and every other thing with the flag state.

“If the cry is that Nigerian ship owners are not accepting cadets, there should be a way round table to find out why.”

On the recent Maritime Security Agency (MASECA) bill rejected by operators and stakeholders at the hearing in Abuja, he said it was the selfish agenda of the proponents that made them push the bill for the third time.

He said the claim that the bill will create jobs for seafarers was far from truth adding that international laws had already established the avenues for job creation for the seafarers.

“We have existing laws at international levels to take care of our seafarers in the area of getting jobs like Cabotage Act, MLC and others. I don’t know the area the MASECA bill is going to create jobs.”