FG awards contract for shipwreckremoval

In line with its plans of ensuring safer
ship operations, the Federal Government
has awarded a multi-million naira
contract for the removal of wrecks on the
nation’s waters.
The Director General/Chief Executive of
the Nigerian Maritime Administration and
Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Ziakede
Patrick Akpobolokemi, who made the
disclosure at a recent interface with
journalists revealed that the first phase of
the contract covers Lagos and the South
South areas of the country.
He added that plans are afoot to rid the
entire Nigeria waters of wrecks in line
with the government’s port modernisation
programme.
He also said the agency was challenged
by some ship owners whose use their
abandoned vessels as a trap to arm-twist
the agency into paying compensation for
removing such wrecks.
“They’ll tell you the ship you removed was
still serviceable and as such, we should
pay N10 billion for a ship that was bought
for about N100 million and has worked
for 20 years. Before you know it, they
drag the management to court. These are
some of the issues we face,” he said.
On why the disbursement of the Cabotage
Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) is delayed,
the NIMASA boss said the Federal
Government was carrying out several
checks on the potential beneficiaries,
adding that “when the government is
through with studying the recommended
beneficiaries, they’ll disburse it.”
He further revealed that NIMASA has been
able to achieve full domain awareness of
Nigeria’s maritime environment, utilising
both technology and personnel to attain
the feat.
He explained that the NIMASA Satellite
Surveillance Centre launched last June
had been very crucial to the successes
achieved by the agency in terms of
providing intelligence in the fight against
piracy and other illicit crimes on the
waterways.
“It is now very difficult for anybody to
attempt a hijack or piracy incidents
around the Nigerian maritime domain
successfully as the agency will get the
intelligence before the attack is even
launched.
“I challenge anyone of you here who can
mention one hijack of a ship that has
occurred in the last one year between the
Lagos waters and Republic of Benin.
Remember Nigeria controls about 60 per
cent of maritime traffic in West Africa. Do
you think it is by coincidence or that the
criminals just repented and this was not
planned?”