By Stephen Ubanna
Between December 31, 2020 and now, the global Maritime sector had been in total shamble because of the Wuhan Town in Hebei Province of Peoples Republic of China grown Coronavirus disease which had spread to over 203 countries in the world and claimed thousands of lives.
The situation had been made worse as the global shipping Industry had been drastically affected as most shipping Lines could not enter into the ports in People Republic of China, Italy, Spain and South Korea including China to carry cargo to other parts of the world including Nigeria because of tough maritime regulatory measures to curb the spread of the deadly disease, described as dangerous, by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Given that the seaports are the gateway to the nation’s economy, the Federal government had beamed its searchlight on Calabarport, Cross river state, where one of the Terminators, operate a Passenger vessel between Nigerian and Cameroon and the Lagos ports which handles between 75% and 90% of the cargo vessels calling at the nation’s ports.
Aware that the seaports, both within and outside the country the country are vulnerable to the spread of the disease, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, under the close watch of Bashir Jamoh and his Management Team, were said to have released fresh guidelines, apart from the general ones that had already been issued by the Nigerian Center For Disease Control, NCDC, that must be observed by vessels, calling the nation’s seaports.
The agency officials may have gone tough on the Industry Stakeholders and the shipping Companies to curnb the spread of the disease in Nigeria. Not that Jamoh, the NIMASA Director General had made it clear that any ocean-going vessel having a history of having visited China, Italy, Spain, Iran, Germany, France, south Korea and Iran or the North American country of the United States, US, as well as other highly affected Coronavirus countries since February 1, 2020, would not be allowed to enter into any of the Nigerian ports to discharge their cargoes between March 30, 2020 to April 12, 2020. This may have informed why there are so many vessels on the high sea, begging to be permitted to enter into Nigerian waters .
More painful to the International shipping Companies calling at the nations’ port was the recent ban on vessels without thermal screening facilities for its Crew members from operating in country’s water ways.
Jamoh and his Management Team , may have acted based on the advice of the United Nations, UN, World Health Organisation, WHO, the International Maritime Organisation, IMO, International Labour Organisation, ILO, and the NCDC, officials.
The NIMASA Director General , who could not hide his feelings had told those that cares to listen that the measures initiated by the agency to protect the nation’s maritime sector was necessitated by the outbreak of the COVID 19 and to curb its spread in the country.
Note that apart from the lagos ports of Apapa, Tin-Can Island, Port Multi-services Terminal limited, PTML, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal, phasese I and II as well as the Onne, Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone Terminal, Port Harcourt Area I, Rivers state, Delta and Calabar ports, in the south east, the other vulnerable areas that could easily be affected by the disease are the offshore operations and locations for the provision of supplies of cargoes, maintenance and repairs of oil platforms. By foreign Contractors.
The measures, may have been considered harsh in the country’s shipping circles that Stakeholders reached out Hassan Bello, a Lawyer and EExecutive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, to intervene before the Maritime Regulatory agency start enforcing the new laws at the ports, which might frustrate their operations.
The fallout was that Bello, the NSC , Executive Secretary had mobilised members of the agency Management Team, Captains of the Industry and the Shipping Companies to visit the NIMASA boss at his Apapa office to talk things over with him.It was a family meeting, according to a source, as the NIMASA Director General was said to have made them understand that “while the government is concerned about protecting the lives of the citizenry, the economy must be sustained”.
He disclosed that the Coronavirus pandemic had actually “slowed down activities in the nation’s maritime sector”, which the industry Operators believe might be worse with the fresh regulatory measures put in place by the agency.
Appealing to the Industry Stakeholders for more understanding in this trying and difficult times, he averred based on past experience, that the global economy would bounce back to reckoning where the shipping activities would go on unhindered. Jamoh, the NIMASA boss, who could not hide his feelings consistently had declared: we are going through hard times, insisting that that all hands must be on deck to sustain the Nigerian economy.
Perhaps, to ensure the continued sustenance of the economy, the NIMASA boss had suggested the need for collaboration between all the relevant agencies in the nation’s maritime sector in this trying times. He may have used the opportunity provided by Bello, the Executive Secretary of NSC, and other other Captains of the Industry recent visit to re-echo his call for collaboration between the various agencies in the nation’s maritime sector.
“Let me assure all Stakeholders and the shipping Community that as a regulatory agency we will continue to embrace collaboration’’, he had said. According to him, what is happening in the world economy, particular, Nigeria I s a phase , stressing that “it will soon be over because today’s pains are necessary for tomorrow’s gains”.
A worried Jamoh, noted that “the world was not prepared for the pandemic” , which may have informed why Nigeria and the other 203 countries that had contacted the Contagious deadly Wuhan of the Hebei Province of China virus to ease the pressure on the nation’s maritime sector.
Giving the pains which the fresh regulatory measures may caused the shipping Companies operating in Nigerian waters, Jamoh may have gladdened the heart of the Industry Operators when he said, “ we will continue to review these guidelines where necessary in order to ensure that both the indigenous and Foreign shipping Lines does not suffer, particular, “when it comes to the movement of medical facilities through the sea into the country. Take for instance the Face Mask which was said to have been produced by a Company in the Coronavirus, infested Asian country of China, which is needed all over the world as a preventive measure to curb the spread of the disease.
The visit of the NSC boss and the Captains of the Industry to Jamoh may have also provided opportunity for him to speak out.He gave his words that all the various agencies in the nation’s maritime sector would heed to the call of the NIMASA Director General to work together and energise to ensure ease of information sharing through a single data window as ” it will help the sector to grow”.
Representatives of the shipping Companies at the Closed door meeting with NIMASA boss and his Management Team were said to have made a case for the agency to give them a soft landing .They were said to have asked the NIMASA helmsman and his Management Team to consider a review of voyages less than 14 days in the fresh maritime regulatory notice in order to avoid undue delay and congestion at the ports. Whether Jamoh and his Management Team would bow to the Pressure from the shipping Companies to do so remain to be seen.
