Yemisi Izuora
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the Offshore Pollution Control, XPO, Marine Services Limited, have called on operating oil companies and shipping firms in the country to desist from indiscriminate discharge of wastes into the rivers and oceans.
The Agency said that discharging of wastes into river would no longer be tolerated.
This was as NIMASA handed over 10 years contract of waste management on the Eastern waterways to its concessionaire, XPO Marine, in an agreement which for every revenue XPO marine makes in the collection of waste, the company would keep 60 per cent while 20 per cent would go to the Federal Government and 20 per cent to NIMASA.
Speaking at a brief event to mark the commencement of the project in Port Harcourt, Managing Director, XPO, Wellington Agharese, noted that Nigeria is a signatory to the MARPOL convention, adding that waste management on the nation’s waterways has been a challenge.
Agharese noted that the commencement of the contract would restore sanity on the nation’s waterways, warning firms to ensure strict compliance to proper management of wastes from their facilities. He said “but the Federal Government is taking a bold step to collect all the waste that are generated from ships and other platforms operated by IOCs and NOCs, so that these wastes can be treated in an acceptable manner and disposed of according to MARPOL convention (to be disposed ashore). So, we take the waste, document, treat, dispose it and ultimately issue a disposal certificate of every waste that is disposed.
This is a clarion call to the shipping, maritime, IOCs and NOCs community that they no longer throw waste away on the waters or ashore. Now the waste has to be treated according to MARPOL convention by meeting the offshore reception facility requirement – that XPO will do in collaboration with NIMASA to implement.
“Discharge of waste into the aquatic environment is no longer acceptable. It has never been acceptable but now it is going to be enforced. Whether the IOCs, NOCs and shipping community, nobody is allowed to discharge waste in the sea. However, Kabiru Diso, the Deputy Director/Head Public Private Partnership Unit, NIMASA, said the agreement and the contract would bring to an end the menace of dumping of wastes on the aquatic environment. He said “this partnership with XPO Marine will help us to address the major challenges in our waters.
It will ensure that our waters are no longer a dumping ground of all kinds of wastes generated from the ships and other installations on Nigeria’s waters. This innovation will ensure timely collection of all the wastes generated from ships, barges and other platforms operating on our waters in total compliance with the MARPOL extant regulations and conventions.
The concessionaire is to ensure that ships and platform comply to MARPOL 73/78 as amended and in line with global best practice. The positive impact of what we are starting today is going to be tremendous – not only for the marine environment but will support the economic growth of the country.