The Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES) and the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron have expressed readiness to collaborate on human capital development in the maritime sector.
AMES President, Mr Isreal Obadan, said this while speaking with newsmen shortly after his inauguration in Lagos on Friday.
Obadan described the short supply of young professional marine engineers and surveyors as “one of the biggest challenge” his administration would seek to address.
He added that a strategic alliance with MAN Oron would be explored for manpower development.
“As a body, AMES is going to interact with training institutions so that we can have knowledge and technology transfer outreaches.
“We have to explore modalities to get this knowledge transferred to the younger ones,” Obadan said.
The AMES president also promised that his leadership would intensify effort to acquire a befitting national secretariat for the association, even as AMES takes strategic steps to increase its membership.
“There shall be positive advocacy bothering on national issues. Let us also continue to advocate for the federal government to appoint only maritime professionals to be in-charge of maritime affairs,” the president said.
Earlier, in his goodwill message, the Rector of MAN Oron, Commodore Duja Effedua, called on AMES members to avail themselves as lecturers, to enable MAN Oron students benefit from their vast experiences.
Effedua, represented by Dr John Adeyanju, said that the academy was flexible to accommodate distant learning via online classes, and disclosed that modern equipment had been acquired by the institution.
Mr Kuzi Onyibe, AMES Treasurer, expressed optimism that the academy would produce world-class scholars.
“I schooled in Ghana and they produce first class engineers there, my own colleagues are provosts and principals, there. They are helping to produce the first class engineers, so why can’t we do it here?
“If we knock out politics, tribalism or whatever, we can produce the best that can work worldwide. We are shooting ourselves in the leg, if we don’t have the right people.
“Right now, the country is importing and when we bring any ship in the country, they put foreigners as ship engineers and captain, because they have first class and we don’t. So, that is work for foreigners.
“If we have it we can retain the space and occupy the whole vessel. Right now we are loosing a lot of money. A captain is being paid 15,000 dollars. You can see how much we are loosing,” he said.
He said that he would want to coordinate, cooperate with MAN Oron to prepare the people for exams.
On sea time for seafarers, he said there was need for collaboration with shipowners, adding that Philippines had no ships, yet had the highest seafarers in the world.
“If we have proper maritime policy that will help develop maritime manpower with the right international level, all these things will be a thing of the past.
“Owing ships is federal government policy and they should make it possible for us to own ships, they should give us cheap mortgage rate to buy ships,” he said.
Mr Richard Owolabi, Head Technical, Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (Abuja MOU), said that every part of shipping business was bounded by stringent regulations, which prompt companies to act in a disciplined and organised manner.
Owolabi, who discussed on the topic, ‘Safety – The Main Pillar of the Future Shipping’, said shipping companies should resort to safety as their first tool for streamlining processes.
“This is to ensure that all operations are carried out in an efficient and smooth manner at sea.
“Safety in all types of operations is the key factor in ensuring that the company always maintains its position about the profit line, both efficiently and ethically,” he said.
Other executives of the association at the meeting are: Mr John Oyedeji, 1st Vice President; Mr Hakeem Oderinde, 2nd Vice President, Mr Abuja Kato, General Secretary; Mr Cornelius Obi, Assistant General Secretary and Dr Enediabasi Etangetuk as financial Secretary.
