SPOTLIGHT ON MAJOR MARITIME OPERATORS IN NIGERIA. Part 1

The theme for World Maritime Day 2015 is “Maritime education and training”. The theme was adopted to focus attention on the wider spectrum of maritime education and training, as well as adequacy and quality, as the bedrock of a safe and secure shipping industry, which needs to preserve the quality, practical skills and competence of qualified human resources, in order to ensure its sustainability.

The amended 1978 STCW Convention and Code set the international benchmark for the training and education of seafarers. Compliance with the code’s standards is essential for serving on board of the ships stipulating, the skills and competence of seafarers, and indeed, the human element ashore.

The human element in shipping will be increasingly important as the industry moves towards ever higher standards of safety, environmental impact and sustainability, and seeks to do its part to implement best practices. The World Maritime Day was first held in 1978 to mark the 20th anniversary of the IMO Convention’s entry into force. Celebrations are held throughout the world to focus attention on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and the marine environment, and to emphasize a particular aspect of IMO’s work towards the new Sustainable Development Goals.

Activities in Nigeria’s maritime industry, the second highest revenue earner after petroleum, show that the industry is currently on a sustainable path of growth in terms of all globally acceptable growth indices, especially in the last one year.
This might not be unconnected with concerted efforts by the various agencies in the industry, especially those charged with the responsibility of implementing Federal Government policies, which have helped to re-direct it towards the path of growth. For instance, the last one year has witnessed massive capacity in terms of building a pool of indigenous seafarers both for export and the local market.

The Nigerian Maritime Expo (NIMAREX), now in its 5th year was borne out of a desire to showcase Nigeria’s enormous maritime potentials to the world. The motivation comes from several years of participation in international trade fairs, conferences and exhibitions by government functionaries, agencies, ship owners, ship repairers, maritime lawyers, financial institutions and other stakeholders in different parts of the world gave rise to the idea of replicating events of similar magnitude in Nigeria
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, under its National Seafarers Development Programme, NSDP, has embarked on massive training of indigenous cadets in foreign institutions scattered across Sweden, Malaysia, United Kingdom and South Africa, among others. In addition to building a pool of indigenous seafarers, the programme is also designed to make Nigeria compete with the Republic of Philippines, which currently accounts for over 30 percent of global seafarers from which she makes over $50 billion annually.

Nigeria also returned to global reckoning in terms of security at the port facilities when she successfully complied with a deadline issued to her by the United States Government to comply with the requirements of the International Ships and Ports Security (ISPS) Code or face total global trade sanction. This followed a damning report by US Coast Guard, which visited Nigeria’s seaports in 2013.

However, Nigeria’ march towards compliance with the requirements followed Federal Government’s decision to formally wind up the activities of the defunct Presidential Implementation Committee on Ports Safety and Security (PICOMSS), created in 2004 to enable Nigeria comply with the code formulated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) with major inputs from the US to forestall a terrorists’ attack similar to the one on the World Trade Centre in ship facility or marine infrastructure. The winding down of PICOMSS paved way for the appointment of NIMASA as the new Designated Agency for the enforcement of the ISPS Code.
With the demise of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), it has been a sore point in Nigeria’s maritime history that she does not have an ocean going vessel on her fleet. This seeming jinx was broken recently when an indigenous company, Ocean Marine Tankers Limited acquired two oceangoing tankers MT Abiola and MT Igbinosa of 45, 000 metric tonnes each, which are set to commence the lifting of crude oil

Dewayles International
Dewayles International Services is one of Nigeria’s major maritime firm committed to excellence, with the view of the overriding importance of quality service with highly qualified technical and managerial work force.
Dewayles ensures that its staff and personnel are well equipped to face the challenges obtainable in the marine industry in line with global safety standards. The company prides its service delivery as not only unique, but professional and efficient.

Their services delivery includes Marine Transportation, Fabrication and Mechanical works, Civil Works,Flowline Construction;Oil Field Procurement Services,Engineering Services, According to the Chairman, (CEO) Chief Victor Egukawhore

We adopt a total system approach in proffering solutions for our client needs. Our in-house resources and network of associates cover management, technical, scientific and regulatory aspects which make our system of service delivery in the marine industry and other operations incomparable”.
“We actively seek to evaluate and expand our projects management capability and oil field services experience coupled with the use of state-of-the-art information technology and equipment systems to ensure that we deliver services in an environmentally friendly, safe, healthy and cost effective way, without compromising the quality of the service we deliver,” he said

CRANES ‘R’ US
Cranes “R” Us Nigeria Limited is a part of a group that was founded fourteen years ago. The Group is owned by British Expatriate family (Father and Son) and started the crane rental with “One Crane” and now has an impressive fleet of mobile hydraulic cranes from 20 Tons to 500 Tons.

The Company has the expertise and experience in rendering and has completed jobs which needed plenty of skill and technical know- how. This is why the company parades a long list of beal and multinational companies an its client list.

The company prides itself with its motto which is “CUSTOMER SATISFACTION” in every way with stress on SAFETY