The Nigeria Indigenous Shipowners Association has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the foreign counterparts to encourage them to provide more new ships in order to boost ship acquisition in the country.
Sola Adewumi, the President of NISA revealed this to the press on Sunday.
Adewunmi called on the government to provide a conducive business environment for shipowners, adding that the shipowners had concluded plans to acquire new vessels.
When asked for details of the planned collaboration, Adewumi, who refused to speak further on the subject matter, said, “We already have a memorandum of understanding in place.”
She emphasized on the non participation indigenous shipowners in crude lifting at Dangote Refinery.
He wondered why foreign vessels were utilised for all NNPC cargo and crude movement to the new Dangote Refinery, she also reaffirmed the need for the full implementation of cabottage law.
“Our position has always been that cabotage law should be fully implemented to grow indigenous capacity. This is a coastal trade and the law says it should be carried out by cabotage vessels. I know the next thing you will hear is that there is no capacity.
“Was Rome built in a day? Must we continue to surrender our rights to foreigners and gradually kill our economy? We have suggested to the authorities what they should do to grow the industry. “Acquisition of a ship is a highly capital-intensive business and nobody will go and stake his fund in a venture that will not guarantee adequate returns. There must be a genuine intention to grow the industry and create employment for our jobless population,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Mrs Funmi Folorunso,the Secretary General of the African Shipowners Association, stated that, “Collaboration is an individual decision for as long as the partnership meets the requirements of the Nigerian Law, it is a decent decision.”
