Agency Reassures Indigenous Ship Owners Of Protection

The Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has reassured indigenous operators in the maritime sector of protection under the Cabotage Act.
In a statement in Lagos, recently, Director-General Of NIMASA, Mr Ziakede Akpobolokemi, was quoted as saying that the indigenous operators should call on the agency whenever they were in difficulty.
Akpobolokemi said that the agency recently inaugurated two 45,000 metric-tonne sea going vessels tagged: MT Abiola and MT Igbinosa.
According to him, the vessels belong to Ocean Marine Tankers Ltd. Warri in Delta.
He said that the inauguration was to enable the indigenous operators meet the objective of the 2003 Cabotage Act.
Akpobolokemi said that the essence of the act was to raise the role of indigenous operators in the maritime sector.
“It is pertinent for more Nigerians to invest in the ownership of the ocean going vessels since the monopoly enjoyed by foreign-flagged vessels in the freight of Nigerian crude had been broken,’’ he said.
He commended the owners of the vessels for investing in the Nigerian Maritime sector.
NIMASA also lauded the efforts of the current administration for breaking the monopoly enjoyed by foreign-flagged vessels.