ANOTHER SHAKE UP IN CUSTOMS:

Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service,
Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi

Dikko Redeploys ACG's, Comptrollers, Others Over Non-Performance

 

Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi has again redeployed eight Assistant Comptrollers of Customs (ACGs) and 22 Comptrollers, among them Area Controllers of commands.

Shipping Position Daily has reliably gathered that the Customs boss was not satisfied with the performances of the affected officers. He had, in March 2014 passed a letter to all the affected officers, directing them to give reasons why they must continue to remain at their posting.

A reliable source within the service told our correspondent that the Customs boss was not satisfied by the officers’ performances, particularly, he was disappointed that they have not done much in meeting the revenue target of the service.

Pirates Of The Caribbean Ship, The Brig Unicorn, Sinks Off St Lucia

Brig Unicorn, the iconic vessel filmed in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, has sunk off the shore of St Lucia. The incident happened on Saturday while the vessel was en route to St Vincent for repairs. It had ten crew members on board.

The Brig Unicorn encountered difficulties and sank due to an unidentified cause. The crew said the vessel had been shaking as if it had hit something. The vessel started to take in water rapidly and the crew was unable to pump it out with all the water pumps on board.

NIMASA’s Patrol Boats Abandoned On Lagos Waters

The Four NIMASA Patrol Boats As Seen By Our Correspondent
At The Kirikiri JettyYesterday At About 6.15pm

• Spokesperson Say No, They Only Patrol At Night

About eight  months after  being commissioned by Minister of Transport Senator Idris Umar to police the nation's waters, there are indications that the three vessels provided by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in conjunction with Global West Vessels Specialist (GWVS) Limited have been abandoned in Lagos.

Investigations carried out by Shipping Position Daily revealed that the patrol boats may have been idling away at the Kirikiri waters, directly opposite Obatoil and Gas tank farm in Lagos for months.

Sources disclosed that the patrol boats were supposed to police the eastern flank of the nation's maritime domain, but they have been in the Lagos idling away.

NPA To Pay Dockworkers Outstanding Allowances

R-L: President NPA Branch of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN);
Comrade Leke Sanni, his Dockwokers Branch counterpart; Comrade Adewale Adeyanju
and the Shipping and Courier branch president; Comrade Uche Igweonu at last weekend's
National Executive Council Meeting of the union in Lagos

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has reiterated its commitment to  the welfare of staff, even as it said that it is set to disburse outstanding payments it was owing tally clerks and on-board security men currently engaged by the agency.

Managing Director of NPA, Mallam Habeeb Abdullahi gave this assurance last weekend at the National Executive Meeting of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), which held in Lagos.

Abdullahi assured the union that payment of outstanding allowances of tally clerks and on-board security men is already ongoing, even as he revealed that the review of financial guides to their conditions of service is still receiving management's attention.

Maritime Workers Union Demands Immediate Relocation Of Tank Farms From Port Areas

L-R: Deputy President General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria
(MWUN) Comrade Dahiru Talleh, President General of MWUN,
Comrade Tony Nted Emmanuel and Secretary General of the union,
 Comrade Aham Ubani at the National Executive Meeting (NEC)
of the union in Lagos last week.

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has called on the Federal Government to relocate the tank farms from the port city of Apapa, andf other port locations across the country immediately to enable easy movement of people and cargoes in and out of the ports and for safety.
The union blamed the chaotic situation on the Apapa end of the highly busy expressway on the activities of petroleum tankers, even as the union acknowledged that this wouldn’t have been if there were no petroleum tank farms along the axis.
President of MWUN, Comrade Tony Nted Emmanuel gave the charge last Friday at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union in Festac Town, Lagos.

CMA CGM Acquires 25 Per Cent Equity

L-R General Manager Marine and Operations, NPA; Malam Mohammed Bulangu ,
AIG of Police  Maritime command Mamman Sule ,MD NPA Habib Abdullahi ,
Commissioner for Police Ports Authority Police Western Command, Cornelius K.Aderanti , 
General Manager Security NPA ,Col Jamil Tahir (trd) and ACP Admin Salem Amachere
 pose for a photograph at the end  of the visit  of the AIG to the NPA MD

• Promises To Develop Port With Green Technology   

A French Shipping Company and leading player in the Nigerian shipping sector, CMA CGM, has acquired a 25 per cent stake in the bourgeoning Lekki Deep sea port in Lagos.
It also yesterday expressed willingness to develop the proposed Lekki deepsea port in Lagos with high degree of green technology.
Chief Operating Officer of CMA CGM, Mr Marc Riondel, said this while presenting the ``Lekki Terminal General Project” to a group of Nigerian journalists who are on study tour of the company’s headquarters in Marseille, South France.

ECOWAS To Establish US$60Million Shipping Line

Heads Of State And Government  Of ECOWAS Countries



• New transnational carrier takes off in December
The Managing Director, Nigeria Export Import Bank (NEXIM), Mr Roberts Orya, has said that arrangements have been concluded for ECOWAS to float a shipping concern that will serve the sub-region.
Orya confirmed in Abuja yesterday that the company to be known as, Sealink Shipping Company, is to be established by the ECOWAS at the cost of  US$60 million.
He said the company, initiated by NEXIM, under Public-Private-Partnership, would own a vessel and was expected to begin operations in December or in January, 2015.
He said the company would handle mainly cargo consignments.
He explained that the company was set up to promote the development of a regional maritime business that would be private-sector driven.

PORT CONCESSION: Eko Support Gets 20 Years Concession Extension

One of the terminal operators in Lagos port; Eko Support Services Limited has bagged an extension of current concession deal. 
Speaking exclusively with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos, General Manager of  the company Mr Seni Edu disclosed that the terminal operator now has signed a 20 years concession extension  agreement to the initial contract which would have terminated this year.
The company currently has a Design Built Own Operate and Transfer agreement with the Federal Government.
Mr Edu also added that Eko Support said has invested a whopping US$130million on infrastructural development, even as he stated that on-going projects at the facility is about 95 per cent completed, he expressed optimism that they will be completed in August 2014.

FACEBOOK DATING: Police Arrests Randy Customs Officers For Allegedly Raping Lady

A 23-year-old lady has accused two customs officer at the Seme Border Command;  Felola Uzezi and Mohammed Sanni, of taking turns to rape her.
The victim told policemen from Area ‘K’ Police Command, Lagos State that she met one of the customs officers on Facebook and had decided to visit after an invitation.
The visit however turned nasty as her Facebook friend, with his colleague, allegedly raped her.
It was gathered that the men had been picked up by policemen from Area K Command and are presently being quizzed.
The two men, attached to Gbaji Custom’s checkpoint, were alleged to have carried out the incident at Limca Bus Stop area, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, home of Felola Uzezi.

Manufacturers Alleged 2000 Containers Trapped In Lagos Ports

 • Indicts Customs of sabotaging Nigerian economy

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has raised an alarm over the fate of about 2000 containers that are currently trapped in various ports in Lagos, a development the group attributed to wrong interpretation of fiscal policies emanating from the Federal Government by the Nigeria Customs Service.

Speaking at a forum organized by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council in Lagos last week,  a member of the association; Mr. John Aluya alleged that wrong interpretation of policies at the port by Custom officers has caused various setbacks for the maritime industry.

Particularly, he said that more than 2000 containers belonging to importers are currently trapped in the ports as a result of the bureaucracy between the Ministry of Finance and the Customs.

Port Operators Disagree On 48-Hour Cargo Clearance

...CBN, MAN, NAGAFF, NCMDLCA Demand Infrastructure Development

Critical stakeholders in Nigerian import and export business have called on the Federal Government to develop port infrastructures; rail networks, good roads and truck transit parks around the country in order to ensure that goods are cleared out of the ports in 48hours.

Some of the stakeholders however doubted the workability of the 48hour scheme, even as they called on government to redirect the focus of the Nigerian Customs Service from being a revenue oriented agency to being a trade facilitator.

In addition to this, they also called for an investigation into activities of Nigerian shipping companies, especially on shipping manifests.

This was some of the views expressed at a one day national discourse on "48 Hour Cargo Clearance Target At Nigerian Ports organized by the Nigerian Shippers Council as part of its efforts to find lasting solution to challenges of cargo clearance.

Australian Navy seizes 450kg of heroin from pirate ship off coast of Somalia

The Australian Navy ship, HMAS Darwin, has discovered 449kg of heroin on board a pirate ship while conducting routine counter-terrorism and security missions in the North Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. 20, hidden in a dhow, bags of drugs were found when a team from the Australian Navy ship boarded the vessel 44NM off the Somalia coast.
HMAS Darwin has a significant contribution in the drug-smuggling networks fight in the Indian Ocean. Transportation of drugs is a major revenue for the terrorist groups and criminal networks. The drugs found on board the pirate dhow were hidden in 20 bags found by the boarding task force of HMAS Darwin.

Customs Says No Going Back On New Duty On Vehicles

• New Auto Policy Is To Discourage Importation Of Old Cars
 

• New Cars Attracts 20% Duty
 

The Nigeria Customs Service has said that it is not shifting grounds on the implementation of its 35% duty collection on imported fairly used vehicles as part of implementation of the new automotive policy.

Public Relations Officer of the PTML command of the service, Mr. Steve Okonmah told Shipping Position Daily in his office yesterday that this policy ought to have started since January 1, 2014, but added that the Comptroller General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko Inde had been magnanimous enough to give freight forwarders a little time.

President Jonathan Says Cargo Diversion Is Real, Cabotage A Failure

President Jonathan

Even though heads of maritime industry agencies shy away from it, the fact that some ships destined for Nigerian ports, still dock at neighbouring port of Cotonou in Benin Republic has been  confirmed by no less a person than President Goodluck Jonathan.

Speaking last weekend at the ground-breaking ceremony of a Dockyard/Shipyard facility, and a Maritime University, which were pet projects of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in Okerenkoko, Warri, Delta State, President Jonathan concurred that ships laden with goods meant for Nigerian ports sometime make a detour to Cotonou port.

FG Says It Is Desperate To Re-float National Carrier; NNSL In Six Months

Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency
(NIMASA) Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, member of NIMASA governing board,
Mr. Ibrahim Mark, former DG of ICRC, Alhaji Monsur Hammed, and former MD of
NPA, Chief Adebayo Sarumi at a one day workshop on public private partnership (PPP)
 organized by NIMASA and ICRC in Lagos yesterday.

“We Want Our Shipping Line Back”--- Official

There are indications that the Federal Government has concluded plans to partner with the private sector to refloat the liquidated Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL).
Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi expressed this desire yesterday  in Lagos at a "National Workshop on PPP Strategy for Infrastructural Development and Modernization in the Nigerian Maritime Sector", organized by NIMASA in collaboration with the Infrastructure Concession Regulation Commission (ICRC).
Akpobolokemi said that President Goodluck Jonathan has tasked NIMASA to ensure that the national carrier is brought back during his regime. This according to him is in addition to the Dockyard/Shipyard and Maritime University project in Okerenkoko, Warri in Delta State.

FG Absolves NPA Of Allegation Of Revenue Leakage

...As New Pilotage Board Meets In Lagos

 The Federal Government may have dropped its investigations into alleged revenue leakages leveled against the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA), an allegation which culminated in the managing director; Malam Habib Abdulahi  being summoned by the Presidency.

The alleged revenue leakage was said to have emanated from one of the aides to the President, who alleged that many ships have been berthing at the ports without paying the statutory dues and levies.

The aid specifically alleged that more than 200 cargo ships have docked over a period of time without making any payments.

DEEPER CHANNELS: NPA Receives WAFMAX Vessel At Onne Port

About five months after she made a trial call, a West Africa Max (WAFMAX) vessel is set to call at Onne port next week, in what the management of Nigerian Ports Authourity described as an affirmation of the deepening of the channel in the Bonny Pilotage District.

Disclosing this to newsmen in Lagos yesterday, managing director of NPA; Malam Habib Abdulahi stated that the coming of  the WAFMAX ship to Onne port is attributable to the successful dredging of the channel.

He said that the ship would be sailing in with the maximum 4,500 containers, which he described as the biggest of such in West Africa so far.

Ex-NIMASA DG; Omatseye Sues NNPC, 8 Others Over Breach Of Cabotage Act

Former Director-General; The Nigerian Maritime Administration
and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr Temisan Omatseye,

A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday fixed May 15 to rule on a suit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over alleged breach of the Cabotage Act.
A former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr Temisan Omatseye, had filed the suit against the defendant in January through a firm, Polmaz Ltd.
Joined as second and third defendants in the suit are; the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and NIMASA.
The fourth to ninth defendants in the suit are the vessel operators namely: Olimpex Nig. Ltd, Unibros Shipping Corporation, Africulti Ltd, Marika Investments Ltd, Nidas Marine Ltd and Prometheus Maritime Ltd.
The plaintiff, in his Originating Summons, is seeking a declaration that the engagement of the fourth to ninth defendants by the NNPC and PPMC in domestic coastal operations is a violation of Section 5 of the Merchant Shipping Act.

Indigenous Ship Owners Dare Petroleum Minister To Release Names of Crude Lifting Beneficiaries

•    Accuse NNPC of Sabotage
The Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA) has accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for truncating efforts of indigenous players in lifting Nigeria's crude oil.

The Chairman of NISA; Chief Isaac Jolapamo accompanied by the Secretary General of the association; Capt. Niyi Labinjo leveled the allegation yesterday at a press briefing with members of the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) in Apapa Lagos

NISA alleged that the NNPC is frustrating the efforts of government is ensuring that local players are allowed to carry Nigeria's crude, according to then, NNPC rather engage services of faceless middle men.

Operators Task Shippers Council On Fair Port Pricing System

L-R: Founder NAGAFF; Dr Boniface Aniebonam, General Manager of
Administration and Human Resources of Sifax Group; Dr. Phil Ofulue,
President of the Lagos Shippers’ Association; Reverend Jonathan
Nicole and representative of Secretary of the Nigeria Shippers Council;
Barrister Hassan Bello; Mrs  Celine Amaka at a summit organized
by MARAN in Lagos yesterday
 

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council has been tasked to ensure that it does not set pricing of port services, without consultation with relevant stakeholders.

This charge was given yesterday by various maritime industry personalities who spoke at a summit organized by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) tagged: "Achieving Fair and Equitable Port Pricing System In Nigeria" in Apapa, Lagos.

Leading the train of speakers, General Manager of Administration and Human Resources of Sifax Group; Dr. Phil Ofulue charged the Council to make wide consultations with stakeholders before setting port prices.

According to him, terminal operators cannot set port charges to be too low in order to be able to recoup their investments at the port.

Anxiety As President Jonathan Performs Groundbreaking of Multi-Billion Naira Escravos Gas Project

President Goodluck Jonathan

Although, all is set for President Goodluck Jonathan’s planned visit to Delta state this weekend, but, there are feelers that the much-expected state visit may be marred by intra-communal clashes.
The bone of contention is the controversial $16 billion Gas City Project, which is located at Ogidigben of Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, two sister communities in  the Kpokpo / Okpeleama, have reportedly warned the  President to stay action on the mucvh-expected foundation laying ceremony of the Escravos Export Processing Zone (EPZ).

 

Issuing the warning on behalf of the communities is an influential Niger Delta Activist, Chief Bello Oboko, who advised President Goodluck Jonathan to put off the foundation laying ceremony in order not to risk the anger of neglected stakeholders.

Nigerian Pirates Attack Oil Tanker; SP Brussels, Kill Crew

The oil tanker; SP Brussels that was attacked by Nigerian
pirates enroute Lagos from Port Harcourt on Tuesday

An armed pirate attack against the SP Brussels has resulted in three victims – one sailor and two criminals died off West Africa.
The SP Brussels was attacked on Tuesday at around 11 pm local time while it was en route from Port Harcourt to Lagos with 17 seafarers and two armed guards on board. The pirates hit the ship and exchanged fire with the guards.
Two of the assailants were killed. The crew retreated to the citadel but two sailors did not manage to reach the safe room. The body of the killed crew member was found this morning, the other one suffered minor injuries.