The Maritime Researchers and Authors Association of Nigeria has urged the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to utilise the three per cent gross freight levy collected to establish a public-private partnership (PPP) national carrier.

MARASSON warned that the country is already losing billions of dollars yearly and risks surrendering long-term control of its maritime trade to foreign operators if the three per cent gross freight levy on all inbound and outbound international cargo is not used to establish a carrier.

In a position paper titled, ‘Don’t waste the three per cent levy: Nigeria’s Path to a PPP national carrier’, the researchers said freight charges, insurance earnings and shipping profits continue to flow to foreign maritime nations such as Greece, Norway and Singapore, while Nigeria bears the burden of providing the cargo, port infrastructure and associated risks without capturing substantial economic value.

The association described the situation as costing Nigeria about $5 billion yearly in freight earnings, strategic control of its supply chain and over 10,000 jobs.

Speaking on behalf of MARASSON, the Director of International Trade, Sunday Ademuyiwa, stated that the country handles roughly 120 million metric tonnes of seaborne trade yearly, yet about 92 per cent of the cargo is transported by foreign-owned and foreign-flagged vessels.

The researchers lamented that the fund had allegedly been spread across fragmented procurements, contracts and equipment acquisitions rather than strategic investments capable of generating long-term maritime assets.

MARASSON criticised the proposal to allocate portions of the levy to “individual radars,” arguing that acquiring equipment without Nigerian-owned vessels to protect and service would not deliver sustainable returns on investment.

Ademuyiwa stated that the emergence of the Dangote Refinery has further heightened the urgency of developing indigenous shipping capacity.

He explained that the 650,000-barrels-per-day refinery would generate between 150 and 200 vessel calls monthly for refined petroleum products and petrochemicals, warning that, without Nigerian-owned vessels, the associated shipping contracts would be tied to foreign shipping companies under long-term agreements lasting up to 10 years, thereby permanently shutting out local operators.

Ademuyiwa warned that once the Dangote Refinery finalises and signs long-term shipping agreements with foreign shipping lines, Nigeria could lose strategic leverage in the sector for another decade.

He maintained that the three per cent levy presents Nigeria with a rare opportunity to become an equity participant in maritime trade rather than remain dependent on foreign operators.

As an alternative, the researchers proposed that NIMASA deploy the levy as equity and credit enhancement to establish a PPP-driven national carrier known as Nigeria Maritime Line Limited.

Under the proposed structure, the researchers recommended 40 per cent ownership for the Federal Government through NIMASA and the Nigerian Ports Authority, while the remaining 60 per cent would come from private investors including the Dangote Group, Nigerian banks, pension funds, and indigenous shipowners.

According to the association, the proposed fleet for the first phase would consist of six Nigerian-flagged and Nigerian-crewed vessels, including three 50,000 deadweight tonnage product tankers, two 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit container feeder vessels and one 30,000 deadweight tonnage bulk carrier.

Also proposed is a 10-year Contract of Affreightment anchored on cargo commitments from Dangote Refinery estimated at three million metric tonnes yearly, with additional support cargo expected from BUA Group, Indorama and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

Ademuyiwa stressed that the proposed national carrier should operate under an independent board with professional management and measurable performance indicators tied to Nigerian content development, safety standards and profitability.

On the economic benefits, the researchers projected that the proposed PPP carrier could retain up to $2 billion yearly in foreign exchange by replacing foreign charter services, while also creating over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs across seafaring, shipbuilding and logistics within five years.

Drawing comparisons with countries such as Indonesia, Turkey and Egypt, Ademuyiwa argued that those nations successfully utilised state-backed funding to catalyse national carriers that generated jobs, assets and dividends, unlike what it described as consumable equipment purchases.

He further stated that the initiative would align with the Cabotage Act, the Marine and Blue Economy agenda and the country’s competitiveness objectives under the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement (AfCFTA).