The Federal Government is working on a plan to stop foreign-owned vessels from trading on Nigerian waters.
Speaking in an interview on a private television, Thursday, Dakuku Peterside, the Director-General of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, said current cabotage waivers will be phased out within the next five years.
“We have rolled out a five-year cabotage waiver cessation plan. That means that in the next five years, there are a number of waivers we would no longer grant.
“So, we expect that most vessels that would be trading within our waters will be built in Nigeria, we already have shipbuilding yards. Most vessels will be flagged Nigeria and most vessels must be owned by Nigerians, we are not going to allow foreign-owned vessels at some point.”
He added that the Federal Government had made plans to have a national fleet which would be private-sector driven.
“The direction of the world is that the private sector people are in a better position to run businesses. As a country, as a reason of national pride, creating employment, reasons for security consideration and other economic reasons, we pushed for the creation of a national fleet.
“The minister’s (of Transport) dream, which has the president’s endorsement, is that let it be private-sector driven, the country might just have minimal equity in the national fleet. We have that plan and we have set up a team led by the executive secretary of the Shippers Council. We believe that when it comes to fruition, we will have a shipping line that will fly the national flag.
“We need to train our people so that they would be able to take advantage of the opportunities when there will be a complete cessation of waivers. Nigeria can export seafarers to other countries. In the next three years, we should be able to have 5000 seafarers with international certification.
