A renowned mariner, Mr. Onmomya Michael Udeh, says Nigerian seafarers are underpaid by their employers, compared to their counterparts in other countries.
The mariner also noted that seafarers’ jobs in the country were unsecured, saying companies hired and fired them anytime without reasons.
Udeh spoke with The Tide in Port Harcourt on Wednesday while reacting to activities of marine companies in the Niger Delta.
According to him, many companies do not pay seafarers well, especially whenever they are off duty.
“These marine companies do not pay seafarers well, when you are on time off, no salary for you,” Udeh said.
The mariner, who decried the challenges faced by new seafarers such as Certification of Membership, called on the management of the Nigerian Maritime, Administrative and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to assist the indigenous seafarers in getting Certification of Competency (COC) to enable them operate effectively in the industry.
He noted that the absence of CoC made it difficult for seafarers to get job in the industry.
“As a beginner, you are requested to have a Certificate of Competency (CoC) before you get a job with a marine firm and it takes up to a year and six months to acquire the document”, he said.
He also frowned at contracting the job of seafarers to contractors by companies, rather than employing mariners directly without a third party agreement.

Chinedu Wosu