Vessel attacks at berth jerk up insurance premium

Abiodun Seun |

Insurance premium is expected to soar high amid incessant attacks on vessels discharging at berths at Nigerian ports.

Insurance premium is added to the freight cost which is incurred in moving goods. It includes packing, palletizing, documentation, loading and unloading charges, carriage costs, and marine insurance costs.

However, it would be recalled that terminal operators at the Apapa Port Complex raised alarm of incessant attacks on vessels at berth by miscreants and hoodlums.

For instance, MV Pamyat; MV Asia Ruby, MV Aquata, MT Sichem New York, MV Kiana and MV Dino were all attacked at different times in the last four months at the Lagos and Tin-Can ports.

MV Pamyat, with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number 8701040 was attacked at berth 14, operated by ENL Consortium of the Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Apapa on March 2, 2018 when some bandits gained access into the ship with ease.
MV Asia Ruby was attacked at 0415hours on April 24, 2018 at ENL, consortium on berth 8 of Lagos Port Complex (LPC) while discharging her cargo. The robbers carried out their nefarious act on the ship without resistance from anyone.
The Tin Can Island Port Complex (TCIPC) also in Lagos is not spared the robbery attacks.
A report from the Port Security Officer (PSO) of TCIPC, indicated that at about 0320hours on Friday March 3, 2018, eight persons suspected to be armed sea robbers launched attacks onboard MV Aquata and MT Sichem New York, which were discharging cargoes at berths 2 and 1 operated by Josepdam of the port respectively.
Preliminary findings revealed that a gang of sea robbers came through the waterfront in an outboard engine boat and launched attacks onboard MV Aquata where three of the robbers succeeded in climbing into the vessel while the remaining five were on standby inside their boat by the portside of the vessel. The crew watchmen onboard sighted one of the robbers at the paint stores and raised alarm immediately.
However, when the terminal security and armed policemen on duty rushed on board, they discover that a watchman onboard was injured by one of the robbers before they jumped into the water and escaped. There were blood stains on the main deck of the vessel,” the PSO stated in the report.
Further findings revealed that in the wee hours of March 18, a group of sea robbers numbering about 20 gained access into Josepdam terminal through the waterfront and headed to the terminal’s fuel dump. The robbers beat up and tied the security guards at the fuel dump before they connected a hose from their standby boat to evacuate fuel from the terminal’s fuel tank. The robbers, who reportedly operated unchallenged for more than an hour, succeeded in carting away about eight drums of diesel from the terminals.

Four days later and precisely on March 22, 2018, the robbers called at Josepdam again. This time, they launched an attack on a ship named MV Kiana. The ship, which was discharging its cargo of bulk sugar belonging to BUA Sugar Refinery, has Nura Shipping Limited as its agent in Nigeria.
The robbers, as usual, stormed the ship using canoe, which they brought alongside the ship and gained access onboard with the aid of a rope tied to a hook.
At the Rivers Port in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the sea robbers are also having a field day. It was revealed that a ship, MV Dino, laden with 20,721MT of bulk wheat was attacked about 80 nautical miles to the Fairway Buoy on her way to PTOL terminal at about 5am on Saturday 7th April 2018.
These unabated attacks are however confirmed by the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) at the Quarterly Stakeholders Meeting of the agency in Lagos last week.

However, a maritime consultant and policy Analyst, Galtima Liman agreed that the spike in attacks on vessels at berth would increase the premium and insurance on vessels to the nation’s ports.
He also wondered why shanties would be allowed close to the Lagos Port, saying that would also fuel attack on vessels.
“There is going to be increase in insurance and ‎premium for shipping companies that are coming to berth in the port,” he said.
He continued, “and despite improvement in making Nigeria food independent, we still substantially rely on import and most of the vessels that ferry these imports are foreign vessels and in the event that we are not fully compliant with the ISPS codes that brought lot of improvement in the security of the ports after the 9/11 attack in the United States.
Speaking on shanties around the Lagos ports, he said, “having shanties around some ports is an eyesore and I think these is a clarion call on administration of NPA and NIMASA to ensure that our ports are rid of these adjoining shanties,”
Also speaking, ‎the President, Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA), Alhaji Aminu Umar said attacks on vessels at Nigerian ports and jetties have been on the rise in recent time with little or no action from requisite agencies.
The NISA President said the implication of the attacks on ships at the ports are grave and “it puts our name in the international maritime wall and that it is dangerous and high risk area to do business particularly for ships to call”.

According to him, “If the ports in Nigeria are considered as high risk area, what it means is that any ship owner coming here pays an additional insurance premium for coming into a zone that is called war risk zone. Some pay as high as $100, 000 to $200, 000 dollars for every seven days they are to stay on Nigeria waters.”

He said, “We have seen so much attacks in the evenings. The robbers come and take whatever they can in the ships. It is not only the responsibility of NPA to secure the vessels in the harbour, but they should do more for vessels that are alongside at their ports. For private jetties, the Marine Police, Navy and NIMASA should be involved. There is need for them to work together to ensure that the harbours are totally secured”he declared.