House Committee Pledges Check On Marine Transport

Worried by the level of in activities in the Eastern Ports, the House Committee on Marine Transport has assured to check the unwholesome practice that would discourage prospective genuine investors in the country’s maritime sector.

The chairman, House Committee on Marine Transport, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi gave the assurance when the committee paid a two day on-the-spot assessment visit to the ports of Port Harcourt, Onne and Warri, recently, with a view to critically look in to the high level of in activity and other problems militating against the full utilisatiokn of the Eastern Ports.

He said that the House is highly worried and concerned over the identified challenges and promised to tackle it headlong.

The House committee chairman, commended Initels Nigeria Limited efforts in transforming the Oil and Gas Free Zone, Onne Port from abandoned project in the 1980s to a model port, and their un common support to the success of local content developments saying with the impressive developments  and commitment, I urged you not to relent on your high ethical standards and operational excellence”, he noted.

Earlier, in their presentation, Intels listed some issues contributing to the under utilisation in the Eastern Ports which include, non enforcement of no midstream discharge and flagrant diversion of import and export cargoes to private jetties and indiscriminate discharge of oil and gas related cargo at non-designated ports.

Others are dresdging of Delta Port, Warri and Calabar Port entrance channels to allow bigger vessels to calling, fencing off of Delta Port Warri terminal A to prevent the boundary community from trespassing and to create enabling condition for companies who had left the region during the period of insecurity to return.

The company pointed out, that the concessionaire and private investors have expended huge amount of resources to upgrade the partly abandoned conventional ports to specialised facilities to service the Oil and Gas in the country.