The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) will continue to encourage and sponsor the development of indigenous maritime capacity, regulate maritime safety and maritime security for both domestic and ocean shipping.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside, said this in a message to the 5th Annual Conference of the Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture (MENA) Division, held in Lagos.
The theme of the conference is: ‘‘Accelerating the Growth of Nigeria’s Non-Oil Sector In a Period of Economic Challenges-The Maritime Perspectives’’.
Peterside, who was represented by the Head, Emergency Service of NIMASA, Mr Hakeem Oderinde, said that the topic was indeed well thought out at this time when the country was facing economic challenges.
He said it also became imperative as engineers responsible for the design, construction and repair of marine vessels and offshore structures.
Peterside said that the marine engineers’ experiences were crucial to the emergence of novel ideas that would enhance the development of the Nigerian maritime industry.
“As you are all aware, our nation in recent past had witnessed a remarkable rise in maritime activities due to higher volume of trading and increased oil and gas production.
“However, this is not the case today with the slump in oil prices. This makes it critical for us to continue to strive toward enhancing the technical expertise in our maritime Sector in order to maximise our gains.
“The Nigerian Society of Engineers is doing the needful by creating this veritable platform for maritime experts and related professionals to collectively initiate ideas toward enhancing the growth of Nigeria’s non-oil sector’’ NAN quotes Peterside as saying.
He said there was no need to restate the challenges of developing Nigeria’s maritime industry. adding that ample investment opportunities remained untapped in the maritime sector.
“The history of the Nigerian maritime sector is replete with the exploits of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) but essentially incomplete without special mention of the roles of marine engineers.
“The marine engineers who managed the companies’ vessels all over the world. You have continued to play active roles in shaping the sector as crew on board ships.
“Also as entrepreneurs who have ventured from the troubled waters to the calm but yet challenging seats of executive management.
“We sincerely appreciate your contributions and implore you to sustain the efforts toward developing the Nigerian maritime industry,’’ Peterside said.
He said that Nigeria had not fully harnessed its potential in the maritime industry due to inadequate technical expertise in maritime-related technology and administration; making the conference most welcome.
“There is no doubt in my mind that there is a general consensus among the captains of industry here present that we need to do more for the maritime industry in Nigeria, ‘’ the director-general said.
He, however, said that the co-operation and synergy being pursued among maritime-related bodies would enable the maritime industry to be more progressive.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of MENA, Mr Charles Otuonye, said that there was need to map out a 16-year Nigeria Maritime Development plan , which would formulate sustainable development of maritime policies.
Atuonye said that the 16-year plan would also feed many Nigerians by minimising the rate of unemployment in the 21st century.
He said that Nigeria was blessed with territorial sea with Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of several nautical miles as well as a vast area of Inland coastal and international waters as well as vast agricultural area of land and hinterlands.
The Chairman of MENA said that diversification was not only on agriculture, adding that the maritime industry was huge and more economical; nearer or bigger than the agricultural sector.
“About 80 per cent of crude oil in Nigeria is drilled from the maritime environment and apart from oil, there are several other minerals which can be exploited.
“The sea is the greatest mother of life. This is the right time for Nigerians to have a re-think and strategise on a robust and sustainable way of diversifying our economy in the direction of maritime industry.
“The maritime industry will avert further drift toward economic depression because depression is a deep and long-lasting recession,’’ NAN quotes Otuonye as saying.
He urged Nigerian marine engineers to train and invest more in ship building, repair, propulsion, ship scrapping, management, re-cycling, research, administration and other ship operations
Otuonye said that countries like Japan, South Korea, Singapore and China were experts in ship manufacturing, which had created millions of job opportunities for the youth and the teeming populations.
In his paper presentation, Mr Basil Ajala, said that there was need for creation of more shipyards to enable Nigerians to build bigger vessels like India and other countries.
Ajala said that ALANG is the biggest shipyard in the world and situated in India, adding that the costs of living and regulation interference affected many nations for not being among ship building countries.
