MWUN Wants NPA To Dredge PH Port

Worried by the inability of bigger cargo vessels to come
into Port Harcourt Port, the Zonal Vice President of Maritime Workers Union of
Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Waite Harry, has called on the Management of Nigeria
Ports Authority (NPA) to dredge the channels and expand the port.

Comrade Harry in an interview with The Tide correspondent in
his office in Port Harcourt last Friday said due to the shallowness of the
channel, most ships anchor at mid-sea far away buoy and discharge their cargoes
into a smaller ship to covey them to the port.

He noted that before now, container vessels of 19,000 and
20,000 metric tones could conveniently berth at the port, and wondered why
cargo ships, with containers, pipes and general goods cannot come into the
port.

The MWUN leader appealed to the new management of NPA to
provide a level playing ground for all terminal operators and distance
themselves from maritime politics. Comrade Harry used the form to congratulate
the new Managing Director of NPA for his well-deserved appointment and enjoined
him to use his wealth of experience to make the ports compete favourably with
other ports in the world.

The Union boss also advised the Terminal operators to use
competent employers of labour that could meet up the modern stevedoring
challenges or standard of practice globally, and warned that the Union would
not compromise with labour employers that do not have up to date working gears
and welfare scheme for their workers.

He also warned that they would not compromise with
contractors that could not pay their workers as at when due, adding, “we on our
part will do everything within our reach to make Nigerian seaports attain
greater heights by ensuring that workers make themselves available on or before
time of work and make good productivity to earn their wages.

Collins Barasimeye