Marine engineers move to end acquisition of substandard ships into Nigeria

Worried by the standard of vessels operating in Nigeria’s Cabotage trade, the Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES) says it would henceforth ensure that only certified sea-worthy ships are acquired by Nigerian ship owners.

Speaking in an interview in Lagos with newsmen, Charles Uwadia, president of the association, said that the initiative would be among the key issues for discussion at the association’s Maritime Technical Summit tagged ‘Challenges of Maritime Transport Industry in Nigeria,’ slated to hold on April 21 at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja.

According to him, the summit would offer policy makers the opportunity to be exposed to the demands and requirements needed which must be complied with, during vessel acquisition in line with the international best practices.

While highlighting the importance of compliance and verification in a sustainable maritime practice, the AMES boss lamented that large number of ships are abandoned at the bar due to failure to meet up with the prescribed standards for operational purposes.

“We want to use this summit to advise stakeholders including the government on how to maintain their vessels, so as to eliminate sub-standard vessels on our waters. Right at the outside bar, you will be surprised at the number of vessels that cannot move or those that are sub-standard because they cannot meet the minimum standard required for a vessel to be operational,” he explained.

Uwadia called on regulatory authorities concerned to be alive to their responsibility and to ensure that not only minimum standards are met but to avoid down time in the course of operations at sea. “It was important that Nigeria upheld the professional practice of engaging competent marine engineers and ship surveyors for survey reports before any ship would be allowed into the country.”

To him, Ghana as a country has recorded excellence in the standard of ships acquired by ship owners by ensuring that mandatory report by a professional marine engineer or surveyor from the country’s marine engineers’ body before buying a ship.

Continuing, he said: “In any civilised country, the first thing should be to get a competent marine engineer or a good ship surveyor to go and inspect the vessel and give an honest report before it is purchased. It should not be the case of getting the seller to give you a surveyor for the job who will give a report to ensure that the owner sells his ware, as it has always been.”

This, he explained is because such practises, when not checked, make people buy vessels that cannot even leave any seaport because they are scraps.

Olu Akinsoji, another marine engineer, said the summit would also address issues around human capacity development for the sub-sector owing to the fact that the present crop of marine engineers are aging and would require competent replacement.

He said the summit would also consider the need to have professionals drive the policies for the sub-sector and give technical input that would make the policies useful as regards purpose.

“We hardly have input into policy formulation. All the professionals, our colleagues who were in the ministry have all left; even those in the inland waterways have left the ministry.

“The ministry only has administrative officers. So, when they are formulating policies, it comes out in form of laws before we even know something is going on.”

Akinsoji further added that the association would also deliver papers to educate the stakeholders on the importance of having marine engineers play key roles in the executing agencies, as well as equipment maintenance.

UZOAMAKA ANAGOR-Ewuzie