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Operators raise alarm over persistent vessel attacks at Lagos ports

By on July 13, 2013

Managing Director, Greenview Development Nigeria Limited (GDNL), operator of Terminal ‘E’ of the Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Apapa, Abba Isa Bukar has advised government to beef up security at the ports, as attacks on vessels at berth assumes a frightening dimension.

He told Policy and Monitoring Committee of the National Council of Privatisation (NCP) led by the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsuideen Usman last Friday, that hoodlums come into the port by canoes and boats to attack vessels at berth.

“The terminal experiences frequent attacks from Sapokoji village. We have several unidentified canoes moving along the channel, fishing and often times moving close to vessels, sometimes attacking vessels at berth. We require increased government security agencies patrol on the water front”, he said.

This is coming barely a few days to expiration of the 60 days ultimatum the United States Government issued Nigeria to effectively implement the International Ships and Ports Security (ISPS) code or risk certain sanctions.

ISPS code came about following the September 2001 terrorist attack on the United States, prompting International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to implement the security measures in seaports across the globe. Federal government of Nigeria recently formally appointed the Nigerian Maritime Administration ad Safety Agency (NIMASA) as the designated agency for its implementation.

Meanwhile, apart from GDNL, a member of the Dangote Group, the NCP monitoring committee also visited APM Terminals, ENL Consoritum and Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited – all terminals at LPC concessioned to private firms by the federal government in 2006.

After the tour of the facilities, Chairman of the Committee and Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamshudeen Usman, promised to address the various challenges private terminal operators said they were facing at the port.

He said report of the tour would be submitted to the NCP headed by Vice President Namadi Sambo to guide future policy making.

Besides the alarm raised about attacks on vessels, Bukar also asked government to remove the supervision of stevedoring firms from the functions of NIMASA over what he described as NIMASA’s incompetence in overseeing that vital component of port operation.

The GDNL boss, who was Port Manager of the former Container Terminal Port in the pre-port concession era, urged government to return the ownership and supervision of stevedoring functions to the NPA.

“NPA is the owner of payment by gross tonnage. So, we are simply asking the government to hand it over to NPA, so they will be able to control it since this has always been part of NPA,” he said.

 

 

[Daily Independent]