Cargo throughput at ports grows by 31.24% to 96.6MMT in H1, says NIMASA
The throughput of cargo in the nation’s seaports has grown by 31.24 percent to a total of 96,626,737.96 metric tons in the first half of the year, January-June, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has said.
This represents 31.24 percent increase from the throughput of same period in 2017 which stood at 73,628,546.62 metric tons.
NIMASA attributed the growth to the reviewed freight rates benchmark for 3 percent levy billing, which took within the period.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos recently during an interactive session, Dakuku Peterside, the director general of NIMASA, who disclosed this, said that the review freight rates benchmark was done to reflect the prevailing realities in the present shipping business, based on the request made by industry operators.
To him, the review brought about positive trends in the industry leading to more patronage. “The significance of the new benchmark was that it has helped to foster harmonious regulator-operator relationship.
On shipping development, Peterside said that the agency has been able to reduce transaction time from 72 hours to 12 hours for vessels carrying dry cargo, roll in, roll out (RORO) vessels, and manifests to 6 hours for wet, gas and bulk homogenous dry cargo.
“NIMASA has developed software that issues Ship Identification Number (SIN) at the manifest desk to prevent double entry and double billing. We have also improved communication with stakeholders through dedicated electronic channel,” he said.
On Final Billing System for ships, he said NIMASA has restructured it payment system to ensure that within a short time of a vessels call at Nigerian ports, the final bill would have been issued and all records reconciled. “This also allows the Agency to issue an electronic sailing clearance to vessels to improve turnaround time of vessels and reduce human interface, thereby creating transparency and efficiency in the port.
On other issues, Peterside said that the Agency is working on a special foreign exchange intervention to enable ship owners to acquire needed vessel parts. The agency, he said, is working towards achieving a special loan repayment processes to enable indigenous operators compete favourably with their foreign counterparts.
Peterside further disclosed that a team is currently working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to determine how best the new policy can be implemented. This is aside working towards the disbursement of the money accumulated in the long awaited Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), which will give room for a full-fledged Cabotage regime with more job opportunities created for Nigerian ship owners and seafarers.
On the agency’s Survey, Inspection & Certification Transformation Programme, Peterside disclosed that 3,752 Certificates of Competency (CoC) were issued in 2017 to successful seafarers, and the number represents 149 percent increase from the CoCs issued in 2016.
Peterside further said that this has impacted on the confidence of stakeholders who now willingly verify certificates. He added that a total of 1,880 certificates were authenticated for stakeholders in 2017 alone, a significant rise when compared to the 1,013 CoCs verified in 2016.
On other activities of NIMASA, Peterside stated that the number of Nigerian seafarers placed onboard vessels from January to June this year stands at 2,337 representing 58.9 percent increase in the number of seafarers employed. “This move has resulted to job and wealth creation.
AMAKA ANAGOR