Hyacinth Chinweuba
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is planning to introduce the Wreck Insurance Policy for all the vessels coming into the Nigerian seaports.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman who disclosed this while addressing members of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC) in Lagos on recently explained that using the wreck insurance policy would substantially address the abandonment of vessels on the Nigerian waterways.
Ms Usman pointed out that the wreck insurance policy would enable the authority to call up the insurance paid by the vessel owner on the vessel in the event of the abandonment of such vessel on the Nigerian waterways which with time turns to wreck.
She noted that this had become imperative since many vessel owners now believed that it was cheaper for them to bring their vessels to Nigeria and abandon it than for them to dispose it.
”There is a wreck insurance policy which we want to institute on all the vessels calling into the Nigerian ports. This wreck insurance will now provide an avenue where if you abandon your vessel, that insurance will be called upon for the vessel to be evacuated. We have noted a lot of wrecks, we have seen abandonment of wrecks in our waterways and we feel that that wreck insurance will assist us.
“So, each time you abandoned your vessel, that wreck insurance that you have taken on that vessel will now be called upon and the funds by the insurance companies will be used to remove that wreck. We have seen where people believe that it is cheaper for you to come and abandon your vessel on the Nigerian waterways, that we will dispose it. So, it is cheaper for you to come and keep it in Nigerian waters than for you to dispose it. Using that wreck insurance policy will substantially address the abandonment of vessels on the Nigerian waterways”. she said
The NPA boss informed that NPA had written to the Ministry of Transportation and was waiting for the Minister to approve it so that it can deploy it thus describing it as one of the important policies this regime would be taking on addressing the issue of wrecks and salvages on the Nigerian waterways.
On the Apapa-Tincan Island access road, the Managing Director recalled that the Federal Executive Council has approved a N72 billion reconstruction contract for the road on Public Private Partnership (PPP) to Dangote Group adding that the contracting firm was reviewing a work plan, which according to her would determine the area they would commence work on and the possible locations for traffic diversion before the commencement of work.
“We are awaiting a work plan, there is a meeting today being held with the Controller of Works, Lagos State, Dangote Group and the Nigerian Ports Authority to develop a work plan on which basis we will see when the commencement date will be, when the site will be handed over to Dangote Group and how long this project is expected to last in view of the urgency for the stakeholders in the maritime industry”, she said.
She observed that the reconstruction work on the Wharf road in Apapa had been 85% completed while expressing optimism that the project would be fully completed in the next four to six weeks even as she added that one of the concerns on the road project right now was the Marine Bridge which had been opened up but not allowing for utilization.
In her words,” So, even if the Wharf road is completed, the one lane of the Wharf road will not be utilized maximally because of that Bridge. We have also reached out to the Ministry of Works to enquire what the status is regarding that Bridge. Julius Berger has some ongoing assessment; they are doing some tests to determine the strength of the beams on that Bridge on which basis decision will be taken on the rehabilitation of that Bridge. It is important for that assignment to be concluded efficiently to enable Wharf road to be utilized properly upon completion”.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC), Otunba Kunle Folarin while stating that the meeting holds every quarter, explained that the day’s meeting was strategic as it was coming at the backdrop of issues that had been raised by the stakeholders which according to him included issues of operations, deep sea development and issues on revenue generation.
He said, “At the backdrop of all these, we have bring the key players to come and discuss. You can see that the discussions were very robust, all the policy issues were touched particularly those issues that can move the economy forward. I believe at the end of our deliberations, we will come with a blue print that will be useful to government, improve commerce and industry, provide employment and really placed in its place those issues that require urgent attention”.