Seafarers Seek Revival Of Eastern Ports

The Nigerian Mer-chant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association (NMNOWTSSA) has called on the Federal Government to revamp  shipping activities at the eastern ports.
The eastern ports which consist of Warri, Sapele   (Delta), Port Harcourt and Onne (Rivers), and  Calabar in (Cross Rivers) have been under-utilised for close to two decades.
Currently, government at state and federal levels have entered into agreement with private investors  for the establishment of deep seaports in the coastal states across the country, a situation that could further hamper the resuscitation of the eastern ports.
Some of the major challenges affecting the ports in the Niger Delta regions include irregular  dredging of the channels, government flip flop policies and insecurity.
However, the seafarers affirmed that the eastern ports would reduce the pressure on the western ports only if government can listen to the core professionals in  shipping related activities.
The National President of the group, Engineer. Matthew Alalade, in a chat with journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, maintained that infrastructural decay, would sector contributed to the lull in shipping activities in Nigeria.
According to him, the pressure on Lagos ports, coupled with infrastructures decay would serve as a reference point in reviving the Niger Delta region ports.
The union boss noted that the dilapidated state of the access roads in the western ports have serious effects on maritime activities and revenue drive of the government
He said, “The shipping sector in Nigeria has not done so well in the past eleven months.
“Activities in shipping has been interfered with mainly by the bad roads because they are not in good states and that has made many people not to come and do business there.
Proffering solutions to the anomalies in the industry , he called on the Federal Government to develop other ports in the east as well as provide adequate security to make shipping activities in the area viable.