The newly inaugurated President of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Mr. Sonny Eja has stated that ship acquisition and access to cargoes are multifaceted issues plaguing shipping in Nigeria

Speaking at the weekend during the inauguration of the new executive of SOAN, Mr. Sonny Eja said that his administration will work assiduously to deliver benefits to all members and protect collective interest, while equally focusing more on policy advocacy, constructively engaging the relevant government agencies/parastatals on policy formulation and implementation as it affects the shipping sector and indigenous ship owners.

According to the SOAN President, “I am indeed honoured and humbled to be President of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria and I thank you for the confidence reposed in me and my team to pilot the affairs of our association for the next two years.

“This great association was established in 2015 as a non-profit organization, which serves to promote the interests of Nigerian Shipowners and operators. Representing over 50 ship-owning companies with a combined fleet size of over 150 vessels (ranging from PSVs, AHTS, Tugs, MPSVs, FSIVs, Tankers, Barges, Crew boats, security vessels, etc), SOAN plays a pivotal role in various sectors of the maritime industry, including oil and gas, dry bulk and wet cargo shipping.

“Over the years, SOAN has actively contributed to government policy formulation, facilitated seafarer development activities, and fostered international partnerships within the industry.

“As I assume the responsibilities of the presidency, I am acutely aware of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Together, we must navigate the complexities of a rapidly evolving landscape, surmount the multifaceted issues plaguing shipping, especially – ship acquisition, and access to cargoes, and positioning SOAN to maximise shipping potentials in an era where maritime sector is displacing oil as the federal government’s priority as demonstrated by the creation of a distinct Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

“Since we assumed office, we have had a number of strategic engagements with critical industry stakeholders including; The Honorable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola, top management of both Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). Similar fruitful engagements have also been held with the leadership of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Shipping Ltd as well as the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS). We equally attended the 2023 Commonwealth Trade and Investment Summit (CTIS) which was held in London.

“While this administration will work assiduously to deliver benefits to all members and protect our collective interests; we will equally focus more on policy advocacy, constructively engaging the relevant government agencies/parastatals on policy formulation and implementation as it affects the shipping sector and indigenous ship owners.

“The Nigerian Marine and Blue Economy is valued at between $296billion to $300billion with potentially 50 million jobs and these numbers are projected to rise year in, year out. Therefore, harnessing the Blue Economy could be a game changer for this nation, and ship owners must be at the heart of this drive for economic growth via maritime.

“Job creation, food security, renewable energy resources, balanced foreign trade, and stable forex, are just some of the benefits of a well-optimized Marine and Blue Economy for Nigeria; but SOAN and the entirety of Nigerian ship owners will need solutions through the disbursement of Cabotage Vessel Finance Fund (CVFF), mutually beneficial relationships with the various categories of industry stakeholders, especially NIMASA, NNPCL, Dangote Group, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), NCDMB, NUIMS among others.”

“As we navigate this leadership journey, I promise that it will be an all-inclusive one because I am deeply committed to fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute.”

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) would commence enforcement of sanctions on service providers and port users who are yet to be registered with the Council by July 2024.

Executive Secretary of the Council, Barr Pius Akutah stated this during a sensitisation of stakeholders on registration of regulated port service providers and users, in Apapa.

Akutah who was represented by the Director, Consumer Affairs Department, Chief Carjetan Agu, noted that the National Assembly and the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy had approached the agency since December, demanding a comprehensive data of all port practitioners and service providers.

He said that the essence of the ongoing sensitisation is to bring all practitioners to register with the Council or risk applicable sanctions, lamenting that only 185 port operators are registered with the Council.

His words, “This has been an ongoing service, and this sensitisation has taken us to Calabar, Port Harcourt, and Warri. This is the first one we are doing in Lagos. This particular sensitisation is for terminal operators, shipping companies, off dock terminal operators and Stevedoring companies.

“In 2015, the Council was appointed port economic regulator and the mandate given to the council was to develop a regulatory regime for the control of tariff rates, charges and other economic activities. In doing this, one of its roles is to register all service providers in the sector.

“If you are a regulator, you are supposed to know your customers, it is in this spirit that we are carrying out this exercise. When we started, it was a manual process, but we have now automated the registration process. Within minutes, even from the comfort of your homes, you can go through the registration process, make payments and equally print your certificate by yourself.”

He maintained that registration is compulsory, adding the Council has gone through the list of those registered and realized that many people are yet to register with us.

“Shippers Council believes in persuasion and not coercion, but when we discover that the level of compliance is low, we might be forced to uphold the law, because there are certain provisions that prescribes punishment for non-registration.

“One of the benefits of registration is passing on information. Also in the past, people bring in offensive goods at the port and upon investigation, they will say they were imported by faceless Shippers. But after this registration, the issue of faceless Shippers will become a thing of the past,” he said.

Also speaking, Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs Department of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Mr Celestine Akujobi said that in December 2023, the National Assembly demanded a list of all the port service providers, freight forwarders, and terminal operators.

“We are creating this awareness and sensitization for practitioners, so that when enforcement starts, nobody would say that they are not aware. The emphasis of this registration platform is not for money making, and that is why the rates applicable are so low.

“In terms of sanctions, we have not been carrying out our duty, this is because there are sanctions applicable for non registration, we just want to make sure we carry everyone along,” he said.

Part of the sanctions include; withdrawal of NSC’s services from defaulters, stopping such agency or company from operating at the port, blacklisting defaulters and publishing their names on national newspapers, among others.

He added that any shipping company or terminal operator that offers services to unregistered port service providers and users will also be sanctioned.

In a determined move to burst the red tape evident in administrative bottlenecks and allied bureaucracies that have constituted impediments to maximising the comparative advantages that  Nigeria’s maritime endowments confer, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has inaugurated the Steering Committee on the Implementation of the National Single Window Project.

The Single Window solution interconnects all stakeholders involved in foreign trade and enables them to perform trade procedures on one platform. The Single Window provides a comprehensive online environment for all governmental and business users such as importers, exporters, declarants, commercial banks, carriers, Customs, ministries, and other government agencies to perform trade operations.

By simplifying and automating Customs and trade processes, traders and Government agents benefit from smoother processes that enable a reduction of clearance times.

The Unified Trade Window secures Government revenue and improves the overall country’s image in international trade indicators.

The Managing Director, Mohammed Bello KoKo, who was named by the President as part of the Implementation Committee had earlier led the NPA to enlist the technical guidance of the International  Maritime Organisation (IMO)in preparedness for the seamless implementation of NSW with the Authority’s finalisation of the consultancy for the Port Community System, which lays the groundwork for the National Single Window.