About 91 per cent of Nigerian vessels, which translates to 265, are registered in foreign countries as the country continues to take the back seat in ship registry development.
Concerned about the rising capital flight loss challenge, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has pledged to expedite the automation of the ship registry to streamline processes.
The Guardian learnt that neighbouring countries like Togo and Ghana have fully digitised their registration processes, which take about 30 minutes to complete.
It was learnt that Nigeria has the largest fleet in Africa. Out of 291 vessels, 265 are registered abroad, accounting for a deadweight tonnage of over 6.48 million tonnes.
During an interactive session with maritime stakeholders in Lagos, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola, emphasised the importance of developing clear objectives, goals and strategies to advance the industry and align with the vision of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
He stressed the need for inclusive and collective efforts from all stakeholders to achieve a sustainable maritime sector, adding that the Agency would continue to play its part in serving the industry.
In his presentation titled, ‘Marine and Blue Economy: Navigating to the Promised Land’, a maritime lawyer, Dr Emeka Akabogu, highlighted the poor state of the Nigerian ship registry, which has resulted in the loss of 265 vessels to foreign registries.
He pointed out that the discrepancies in ship registration underscore broader challenges, including policy ambiguity and regulatory inefficiencies. Akabogu raised the alarm about the dire consequences of continued capital flight and loss of control over the nation’s critical maritime assets, warning that failure to address the challenges could jeopardise the industry’s growth prospects and undermine national security.
He proposed various reforms, including policy and agenda verification, enhanced data and technology utilisation and establishing minimum industry standards to bridge the gap.
Akabogu called for robust policies to incentivise domestic ship registration and ownership and urged policymakers to prioritise measures that promote indigenous participation and curb capital flight.
He also advocated deliberate recruitment of professionals, empowerment protocols, development of standard shipping development courses and accountability measures for NIMASA and the industry.
Also speaking, the President of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS), Aminu Umar, lamented that the ship registration process in Nigeria is less seamless than in Togo and Ghana.
He encouraged NIMASA to adopt a fully digital process like other countries. Umar noted that the commencement of refining at Dangote Refinery has opened new opportunities for indigenous shipowners to participate in the export of refined products and importation of crude from other countries.
Pioneer Chairman of the Board of NIMASA, Dr Tijjani Ramalan, suggested the establishment of the National Shipping Line/National Carrier for the carriage of crude and refined products with involvement from critical stakeholders in maritime, oil and gas as well as shipping.
He also encouraged the new NIMASA leadership to prioritise inter-agency and inter-ministerial collaboration for integration with the marine and blue economy, as well as collaboration with the Dangote Group, other local refinery owners and indigenous shipowners.
He said their expertise and resources could significantly contribute to the success and viability of this initiative as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Former Minister of Interior and Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Oil and Gas, Emmanuel Iheanacho, expressed optimism that Nigeria would make significant strides in promoting ship safety, shipping development, maritime security and environmental sustainability in its waters.
