Maritime stakeholders point way forward for industry at Energy / Maritime Reporters summit
From Chris Eze, Port Harcourt
The Energy and Maritime Repoters Association,(EMR) an affiliate of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Rivers State chapter has ended its annual seminar at the
NUJ secretariat , Mosco Road, Port Harcourt.
The one day seminar with the theme, “Understanding the Maritime Subsector and Issues in the Coastal Areas” held on Wednesday.
It attracted experts in the energy and maritime sectors who delivered incisive papers which pointed the way forward for both government and players in the sectors.
Speaking on the sub-theme, “Maritime Safety Concerns and Approaches”, National Chairman of Institute of Marine Engineers and Naval Architects (NIMENA) Dr Daniel Tamunodukobipi decried the lack of professionalism and standardization in the maritime sector in the country.
He stated that the situation is adversely affecting practitioners as their certifications were being ridiculed abroad.
The NIMENA chairman who stressed that poor certifications of boats has led to increased boat accidents in the country urged the government to employ core professionals in order to harnesses the blue economy.
“People are employed in ministries and agencies where they have no competencies. For instance, the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has no maritime experts. They have no marine engineers; their website is empty because the people there are square pegs in round holes.
“In NIMASA, the people there are not marine engineers but maritime lawyers; that is why that agency is not functioning optimally as it should.
“Core professionals should be employed in every agency bothering on maritime. NIMASA and NIWA certify vessels that cannot meet international best standards, because the people in these regulatory agencies are not professionals”, he pointed out.
He called for collaboration of government, regulators and the academia to develop local technologies, saying Nigeria would be better off with that.
Tamuno also decried pollution and marine debris on waterways, saying “Security agencies contribute greatly in the pollution of the maritime environment.
According to him, Instead of arresting suspected oil thieves, they would rather set the site ablaze and these fires would burn for days polluting the land, air, water and the entire ecosystem.
” It is unheard of that people pour petrol and bomb a rat, as it is being done in this part of the world.”
In his good will message,the Chairman of NUJ in Rivers State, Mr Stanley Job Stanley, challenged maritime reporters to draw government attention to the seaport in Rivers State to ensure their maximum utilization like Lagos ports.
“Journalism, just like medicine and law, has many fields and maritime is just one of them.
“We are not utilizing our maritime potentials in Rivers State. Our maritime sector is underreported in the Niger Delta, I don’t know how functional Port Harcourt and Onne ports are right now, because it is the duty of maritime reporters to report it
“We have seen reports that Lagos ports are over congested and it takes months to clear goods at Lagos ports. The question is, why are importers not using Rivers Port that are not congested? Why is the seaports here not functioning like Lagos ports? And if they are working, why is it not reported?”, He challenged EMR.
Earlier, Chairman of Energy and Maritime Reporters Corps, Mr Martins Giadom, urged stakeholders to take a significant step towards promoting the maritime sector’s growth in Rivers State, calling for collaboration with critical stakeholders.
Giadom emphasized the need for collective effort to develop the sector and highlighted EMR’s commitment to building a strong maritime, oil, and gas industry in the country, particularly in the South-South zone.
“We seek active collaboration from critical stakeholders, including NIMENA, MACBAN, CFRRRN, MWUN, NIMASA, NIWA, Customs, Indorama Petrochemicals, NPA, clearing agents, terminal operators, Shippers Council, to support the maritime subsector,” Giadom urged.
The event featured a keynote lecture delivered by Dr. Egben Okore, representing Charkin Maritime & Offshore Safety Centre’s Managing Director, Sir/Dr. Charles Wami. The lecture focused on grooming industry specialists to meet national and international reporting standards.
Other highlights included recognition of Elshcon Nigeria’s Executive Chairman, Chief/Dr. Emi Membere-Otaji, for his outstanding contributions to the maritime industry. The Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China, was also honored for his support.
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