Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, has stated that the NPA will save the country multimillion dollars spent on ship repairs abroad if vessel owners dry-dock their vessels in Nigeria.
She disclosed this while speaking at a webinar on Wednesday titled, “COVID-19 and the Nigerian Maritime Sector: Lessons and Way Forward,” organised by maritime lawyer, Mike Igbokwe.
According to her, “NPA has given a waiver for vessels that are meant for servicing and dry-docking and this has enabled vessel owners to competitively dry-dock in Nigeria. This is important for us to build that sector and retain jobs in Nigeria. We have done our bit in promoting that sector and I call on the associations to bring up any other areas where government can intervene and help keep that business in Nigeria and develop skill to retain job and grow the industry.”
She also said the NPA will discuss with ship owners on the issues of applicable policies around berthing of vessels in the West African region, stressing that the NPA is keen to resolve the matter in a timely manner.
She also called for the lifting of the order to detain vessels from countries with over 1,000 COVID-19 cases.
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 had directed a close watch on countries with high rate of infection, as flights were banned from countries with over 1,000 cases.
The NPA boss said crew members from the vessels are those who ought be detained to check the spread of the virus, and not the vessels themselves.
“We need to remain at alert, conscious and dynamic enough to go with the flow however it goes. But importantly to ensure that the gateway to the economy is to ensure that the ports remain open, recognising that the flow of infection into the country is not the vessel that has the infection as it were. It is not to detain vessels,” she said.
“Some of the submissions that we have had from the presidential task force around having vessels wait for 14 days from any country that has above 1,000 infection. We have been engaging with the PTF to lift that because almost every sub-region has passed these numbers.
“So we cannot say vessels should now stay for an additional 14 days. This is a big concern that has been ongoing with shipping companies.
“I keep saying that it is better for us to have those around the crew because the crew could be the ones that have any form of infection as it were, and ports health and NCDC have the necessary protocol applicable to that.”
Usman added that efforts are in top gear to ensure that a single-window cargo clearing platform is established in the nation’s seaports in order to drive efficient and automated port operations needed at this time of the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.
According to her, the establishment of a single-window would ensure that Nigeria has less human interventions in cargo clearing system.
“We are pushing to ensure that this automation is deployed within the shortest period to reduce cost for port users. Though, the critical component of this platform lies with the Nigeria Customs Service,” she said.
