Maritime
Nigerian ship owners advocate international collaboration to curtail poaching
Chairman, Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN) Mrs Margaret Onyema-Orakwusi, has said that curtailing poaching in Nigeria and the African Continent will require international collaboration. Onyema-Orakwusi said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. According to her, the international community has the market and capability to effectively monitor all activities that take place in the waterways. She said: “I have always said this, any crime that takes place out there in the sea, the planning is done ashore; they go there, execute and come ashore with their bounty. So, with good intelligence, right from ashore, you can arrest what goes on there. You can also trace the movement of the fund through financial institutions.
“We are underplaying the activities of the financial institutions especially the international banks because that is where the poachers find markets for their products, which shouldn’t be. The poachers have easy market in Asia, in Europe and in America and they pass their money through their financial institutions. Some of us who export, we know that for your payment to be received through the bank, you need to furnish documentation to show how you earned that money. So seriously speaking, if we really want to arrest the issue of poaching in Africa, we need the cooperation of Europe, Asia and America. This is because it is easy for them to monitor these things. Also, sanctions should be placed on the financial institutions and on the big buyers.”
Onyema-Orakwusi however, urged the federal government to deploy relevant personnel to adequately monitor the territorial waters to ensure security of the waterways. She also urged the government to be at the fore of all the partnerships going into the sector to ensure that its full benefits were maximised. “We need to secure our domain; we need to tap on the resources; we need to let it provide employment and earn foreign exchange, it is our own. We have also recognised how difficult it is to fight international organised crime and that is why it is important that all hands must be on deck,” she said. The SOAN boss expressed optimism that the recently concluded Global Maritime Security conference would ensure a more secured environment in the country’s maritime sector.
She reiterated the importance of safety to enable the country harness all available resources, to engender growth and development of Nigeria and the continent at large. On indigenous criminal activities in the country’s maritime domain, Onyema-Orakwusi said resolving it was beyond the amnesty programme. According to her, rather than give fish to the people, it is important to teach them how to fish so they can be useful to themselves, their family and the nation.
“I believe that hunger can drive an innocent man to steal in order to eat. If you look at the Niger Delta area, you will find out that a lot has happened, a lot is still happening and people’s livelihood have been taken from them.
“The environment has been abused; there is a lot of pollution which means you have taken from them what they are traditionally good in doing and that is farming and fishing. And what have we replaced with that. I have never been for the amnesty programme. We need to train these young boys and girls, find some other means for them to earn an income. So we really need to equip them more and create an environment for them to be able to earn income and improve on themselves,’’ she added. (NAN)
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has expressed confidence that the Maritime Labour E-Platform would boost the sector’s competitiveness as it hosted a workshop to sensitize users of the portal through practical demonstrations and interactive sessions. Held in Lagos, the workshop practicalized the process of registering, verifying and issuing identity cards to seafarers and dockworkers via the NIMASA portal (@nimasa.gov.ng). Practical support measures, including training, cybersecurity and planning a phased rollout to ensure smooth adoption, were also discussed.
Speaking at the event, the NIMASA Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr. Jibril Abba stressed the importance of the digital platform to achieving global competitiveness, stating that “our digital transformation is underway. This year we launched the Maritime Labour E-Platform, building on our 2022 dockworkers registration success.
It is a modern, integrated system for registering and verifying seafarers, dockworkers, employers, and other stakeholders.” Represented by the Director, Maritime Labour Services Department, Mr. Ibrahim Umar Sidi, the Executive Director further noted that “by centralizing registration and issuing secure biometric ID cards, it cuts paperwork, speeds up processing, and gives us reliable real-time data. This helps us meet our obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention and boosts Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global Blue Economy.”
He also emphasized that the actualization of the digital platform was in line with the Agency’s statutory obligations, stating that, “This initiative directly fulfils our mandate under Section 27(1)(a) of the NIMASA Act 2007, which charges us with the duty to document and maintain a register of every maritime worker and operator. It also aligns with our obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006, often called the “Seafarers’ Bill of Rights for promoting fair working conditions, health protections, and social security.
In its efforts to build a smarter, more transparent, and efficient maritime sector, the Federal Government launched the Maritime Labour E-Platform, during an event in June marking the 2025 Day of the Seafarer in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The platform, which is a digital solution designed to revolutionize the governance of maritime labour in Nigeria, was described by the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola at the time as “a transformative tool for labour administration”.
Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola has noted that effective Port State Control (PSC) is one of the most potent tools of ensuring global safety and maintenance of environmental standards in shipping.
Dr. Mobereola who said this at a 5-day Regional Train the Trainer Workshop on Port State Control (PSC) for Member States of the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the support of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), further emphasized that the quality of the professionals who implement PSC determines its overall success. Represented by the Executive Director, Operations, Engr. Fatai Taiye Adeyemi, the DG described the workshop as a reflection of Africa’s shared commitment to safer, cleaner, and more efficient shipping.
“Your presence here demonstrates our collective resolve to strengthen efficient maritime governance, improve safety standards, and enhance environmental protection across West and Central Africa,” he said. The DG commended the IMO, the Abuja MoU Secretariat, and all technical partners for their continued support towards capacity-building, regional cooperation, and the promotion of maritime safety in Africa.
Delivering a goodwill message, the representative of the IMO, Captain Ahmed Sewelam, reaffirmed the Organization’s unwavering commitment to supporting Member States through its technical cooperation programme to strengthen effective and harmonized Port State Control regimes globally. “Effective regional cooperation and harmonized PSC practices are essential to eliminate substandard shipping and promote consistency across the region,” Captain Sewelam said. He said that the workshop provides a unique platform for delegates to strengthen their collective capacity as Port States, while discussing key elements such as inspection procedures, reporting, and strategies for improved performance noting that “together, we can strengthen Port State Control implementation and advance maritime safety and sustainability in the region”.
On his part, the Secretary General of the Abuja MoU, Captain Sunday Umoren, reiterated that capacity building remains a top priority of the Abuja MoU. He noted that effective Flag State control directly influences the quality of Port State Control operations, emphasizing the importance of strong national systems. “We must continue to build capacity, strengthen cooperation, and share experiences to ensure that our region maintains high standards of maritime safety and compliance,” he said.
The Train-the-Trainer Workshop on Port State Control under the Abuja MoU represents another milestone in NIMASA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen maritime safety, promote environmental protection, and consolidate Nigeria’s leadership role in advancing regional maritime development. The workshop, which is being held in Lagos, has brought together delegates from 22 countries across West and Central Africa to deepen capacity, harmonize standards, and strengthen maritime safety oversight across the region.
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) announced on Monday that about 20 ships laden with food items, petroleum products, and other goods are expected to arrive at Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports in Lagos. In its shipping position for Monday, the authority disclosed that the ships will arrive in Lagos from November 10 to 12.
According to the NPA, out of the 20 expected ships, four contain crude oil, four contain petrol, three others are to arrive with aviation fuel, while the remaining nine ships are to arrive with diesel, gas oil, and different products.
The NPA also hinted that three ships had arrived at the ports and were waiting to berth with general cargo and bulk urea. Meanwhile, it says that 11 ships are currently at the ports discharging general cargoes, bulk wheat, bulk sugar, containers, and bulk gas. NAN
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