AMES blames poor technical input in maritime policies for industry failure

Lack of the required in-depth technical input by professionals during maritime policy formation and implementation stages, have been identified as the reasons behind the failures currently being recorded in the nation’s maritime sector, says the Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES).

According to the engineers, there is need for a holistic review of the Nigerian maritime human capacity development, if the sector must build pool of engineers and other professionals to address the issue in line with international best practise.

Speaking at AMES, the Maritime Technical Summit held in Lagos last week, Charles Uwadia, president of the association noted that the declining standards in quality and profitability of ships of Nigerian flag could also be traced to poor technical standards occasioned by ship owners’ reluctance to comply with national and international standards and regulations.

The president stressed that the government, the institutional platforms and the stakeholders must collaborate, and synergise if the country would ever be able to strategically move its maritime industry forward.

Emmanuel Ilori, resource person, posited that Nigeria by now, based on established tonnage, should be on category ‘B’ of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council, even as he grieved that the country was yet to master its status on Category ‘C’. “Nigeria should be able to dominate the African – Atlantic waters.”

Ilori, a Lloyds Ambassador, pointed out that “when we are however short-changed on professionalism, we also discounted heavily on our ability to compete,” as he emphasised the need for Nigeria to go back to the drawing board and work for further improvement.

In his own contribution, Olu Akinsoji, former rector of Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, stressed the need for the development of a human/technical capacity development plan, and also added that “such would enable stakeholders know where we are, while everyone continues to work towards the next level, in case there was a change of battons at any point.”

Akinsoji, in total agreement with the earlier position of Rotimi Amaechi that the rush for the creation of the Maritime University, Okerenkoko, was ill-timed since it was to utter neglect of the MAN, Oron.

He campaigned for stronger political understanding and will, observing that Nigeria has laudable good laws. He called on attention to the fact that if human capacity were developed, its multiplier effects would directly impact on the maritime industry, the people and the economy at large.