Posted by By Alban Opara on
The Nigeria Ship Chandlers who are licenced to give supplies to ships that visit the nation's seaports are protesting against Federal Government neglect in the various reforms that are going on in the maritime industry.
The Nigeria Ship Chandlers who are licenced to give supplies to ships that visit the nation's seaports are protesting against Federal Government neglect in the various reforms that are going on in the maritime industry. Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Ship Chandlers Association, Sole Administrator, Mr. Simeon Ashor, regretted that government in the various maritime reforms had not considered the very important role the ship chandlers played in the maritime industry and as such, had refused to carry them along.
'We feel neglected as the Federal Government didn't spell out how the reforms may affect ship chandlers operations, not considering also that we are stakeholders in the port industry."
Ship chandlers in Nigeria are companies registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, the Nigeria Customs Service, and Nigerian Ports Authority with licence to supply foreign vessels and other ships that call at the nation's territorial waters their needs like engine spare parts, food stuffs, provisions, waters, oil, refill of gas, laundry materials, deck materials, etc,.
Mr. Ashor said there might be some security consequences for the nation if the Nigerian ship chandlers were not carried along to make input in the on-going reforms.
In the case of the port reforms, he said that if the ship chandlers continued to be sidelined and the new private terminal operators take over the service of supplying ships needs to visiting vessels, the tendency to beat the security by smuggling out hard drugs and also supply inferior goods may not be ruled out.
The Ship Chandlers Sole Administrator, Mr. Ashor said, 'we want to follow the trend by making our position clearer and also advice the Federal Government through the Minister of Transport, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, as regards some of these reforms on International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code), cabotage regime and port reforms."
He said because they have contact with ship owners, vessel masters on arrival in Nigeria, that their members were in a privileged position to pass to the ship masters and ship owners security arrangement put in place by the Nigeria authorities.
'Our inputs may help in bringing the insecurity of our ports and high sea down to it barest minimum, because from observations we have not seen any practical strategy on ground to tackle this problem of in security both internally or external.
'Our association is watching with keen interest the reforms going on in the nation's sea ports as most of the concessionaires are ready to take change of their various concession terminals.
'We warned that cautioned should be taken and that ship chandlers have a role to play, to save the nation from certain embarrassments.
'In line with our position, we want to always be in touch with various government agencies who are saddled with the responsibilities of the reforms, like the Ministry of Transport, The Nigerian Ports Authority, the National Maritime Authority, the Nigeria Customs Service and the Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council.
'We desire to meet with the Minister of Transport to avail him of certain vital information, as regards how government can generate more revenue from this sector," Mr. Ashor said.