Society calls for review of maritime laws

Admiralty Lawyers Society of Nigeria has called for a review of all maritime laws to make for new technologies for greener shipping.

The body gave the call in commemoration of World Maritime Day with the theme, ‘New Technologies for Greener Shipping’.

In a statement signed by its National President, Angus Obinna Chukwuma, the group maintained that better standards should be set with practical enforcement mechanisms in place.

“The law enforcement agencies should be up to the task. Those who default must be arrested and prosecuted. For greener shipping to take shape, new technologies are not negotiable,” it said.

The society also tasked Nigerians to invest in new technologies for greener shipping.

According to the body, such investments will boost the maritime industry and increase employment opportunities and make the maritime environment safer and healthier for business operations.

The body said the crux of the matter is the available maritime technology in Nigeria and other underdeveloped and developing climes is inadequate to assurance of greener shipping.

“Greener shipping has to do with sustainable shipping, the practice that is eco-friendly and can guarantee a cleaner, safer and healthy environment. In greener shipping, emphasis could be around less or zero emissions.

“In the current circumstances, we are bedevilled with a lot of avoidable water and air pollution in the maritime environment. Obsolete equipment is used in loading and discharging cargo, and offshore and deep sea oil drilling are not carried out under best international practices and standards, thereby, increasing hazards for crewmen, seafarers and sea lives.

“Using poor technologies, as we have today, will only lower standard of living, diminish income generation and reduce life span. This is apart from the fact that the harmful emissions from such technologies cause global warming and climate change,” the society said.

Society urged the Federal Government to invest massively in scientific and technological research to effectively develop the new technologies.

“Research grants and opportunities should be made available and the expenditure appropriately supervised.

“Our educational institutions should be galvanised for this effort. The present ASUU – Federal Government faceoff, therefore is counter-productive. ASUU and Federal Government should close ranks for the purpose of making the realization of this objective a reality,” it said.