The president General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria
(MWUN), COMRADE Anthony Nted Emmanuel has decried the activities of some
multinationals in the industry who discharge their Vessels at midstream instead
of the ports.

Comrade Nted Emmanuel, who disclosed this at a fund raising
ceremony in Lagos recently, said the illegal activities have rendered the
dockworkers jobless and revenue that supposed to come into the Federal
Government coffers.

He said the Union has resolved that if no action is taken
urgently, all seaports in the country would be shut down, and called on the
Nigeria Ports Authority and the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency (NIMASA) to address these illegal activities at the nation’s territorial
waters, or ready to have a face-off with the union.

According to him, there would be no operation at the
nation’s seaports if the two maritime agencies failed to ensure that these
activities are stopped to enable the dockworkers and seafarers perform their
duties in the ports.

The MWUN president General also warned companies and
multi-nationals in the maritime business that such Vessels should henceforth
come into the conventional seaports and discharge their cargoes, adding that
‘Any Vessels that do not come direct to the port is going against the ministry
of Transport regulations of the country, which is breakdown of laws’

Anytime we noticed multinational discharges offshore and
runaway, NPA and NIMASA do not address the issue of the illegalities, we are
going to shutdown the ports” he stressed, and noted that the country could no
longer lose such huge amount that ought to come to the government pause to
sharp practitioners.

Comrade Nted Emmanuel further said that the nation’s
seaports would experience industrial unrest if the Federal Government failed to
live up to its billings

He said, “The illegal activities have deprive dockworkers
from performing their duties and also the Nigeria seafarers are suffering, and
nobody is addressing the situation and as it is, if the Federal Government does
not meet up with their responsibility, we are going to run a zigzag port, which
means we will close down the ports,” adding that “what we are seeing in the
industry is an eyesore especially with the shipping companies on offshore
whereby they offload midstream and run away, this is a big problem that needs
urgent attention by the Government”.

The Union boss noted that maritime workers are lamenting
over unemployment because Vessels are not coming into the ports and further
enjoined the authorities to brace-up or face an unpleasant situation.

Collins Barasimeye