Ships calling Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports located in Lagos can now heave a sigh of relief as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said it has abolished the operations of safe anchorage and its consequent charges on shipping companies.
According to the NPA, safe anchorage operations pile up costs to shipping companies as vessels anchored in the area are expected to pay as much as $2,000 for the first day and $1,500 for the subsequent days.
BusinessDay understands that in some cases shipping companies pay as much as $2,500 per day to security outfits guarding the safe anchorage areas.
Speaking at a quarterly stakeholders meeting held in Apapa last week, Hadiza Bala Usman, managing director of the NPA, disclosed this in Lagos on Thursday while responding to complaints by stakeholders that some private security companies collect as much as $2,000 per day to secure vessels against attack outside the Lagos anchorage.
She directed shipping companies not to pay any anchorage dues to private security firms as the NPA would take responsibility of providing security to vessels at the Lagos ports’ anchorage areas.
“Today (Thursday 10th October 2019), NPA has issued Marine Notice to say that there is no longer any anchorage in Lagos addressed as safe anchorage. We are aware that about $2,000 is being charged on the first day and every other subsequent day is $1,500. We know that it is increasing charges for shipowners but that would not exist anymore from today,” said Usman, who was represented by Sekonte Davies, executive director, Marine & Operations of the NPA.
To provide anchorage, Davies said, is NPA’s responsibility and the Nigerian Navy has been in collaboration with the authority to ensure that every anchorage of NPA is safe. “The National Security Adviser and the Chief of Naval Staff are collaborating with us.”
In addition, she, however, said the authority has perfected plans to take delivery of patrol vessels to enhance waterfront security at the ports. Usman assured that NPA was working in partnership with the Nigerian Navy in order to strengthen waterfront security at the ports.
“NPA has procured security patrol boats and we are going to take delivery of some of them in the next six weeks. If not for a few issues, by now, they should have been here. Upon arrival, it will enhance our waterfront patrols and also tightens security operations at Nigerian ports,” she said.
Usman further said that NPA would soon commence procurement process for acquisition of fenders for the various berths in the port that need to be replaced.
Earlier, several stakeholders raised concerns over constant attacks on vessels at berth in Lagos Ports; calling on NPA to increase patrol of the waterfront and put in place well-coordinated efforts to address the security menace.
To address this, stakeholders urged the NPA to make the entire anchorage areas safe for all in a way that anchorage dues can be imposed on ships calling Ports in Lagos for the safety of the ships.
In his submission, Yakubu Abdulahi, general manager, Operations of Greenview Development Nigeria Ltd (GDNL), a terminal operator in Lagos Port Complex Apapa, said at the meeting that every two months, pirates come on board and attack vessels at berth.
According to him, once the pirates launch attack on the vessels, they operate freely and also leave freely without anybody challenging them, and they leave through the waterfronts.
“This means there is a need to increase patrol of the waters in a more coordinated manner. If the Marine Police and the Navy are actually taking part in the internal water surveillance, then, we need to understand what is actually going wrong,” he suggested.
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE
