By Yemisi Izuora-Lagos
The Executive Secretary (ES) of the , Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Ernest Nwapa, has hinted that government has decided to ban vessels without local content effective January 2015.
Nwapa said Nigeria’s vessel operators had turned to India and China to import vessels to the detriment of local ship builders and the economy in general.
He therefore warned that foreign vessels purchased outside the country without local content input from local ship builders would be barred from operating in Nigeria’s territorial waters,
The new policy, according to Nwapa, is aimed at developing local capacity in line with the local content initiative of the Federal Government.
Nwapa who disclosed this in Lagos explained that the policy became necessary because a number of Nigerian companies, such as Nigerdock, have developed the capacity to manufacture high quality vessels that meet international standards.
“From January 2015, companies seeking to buy marine vessels that will be used in the Nigerian territorial waters must submit the Nigerian Content plan for the purchase so that we determine which part of the vessels can be manufactured in Nigeria.
“Any company that fails to abide by this new policy would have such vessel barred from operating in the country.
Nwapa hailed Nigerdock’s success on the inauguration of the Meren jacket and associated decks as a milestone in the quest for achieving increased local content in the nation’s oil and gas sector.
He called for increased patronage of local companies by the international oil companies in the execution of their major projects, saying Nigerdock has demonstrated the ability of Nigerians to provide facilities and skilled manpower required for the execution and delivery of major projects in the marine sector.