WorldStage Newsonline– The Nigeria’s Senate has made a case for adequate funding for the Navy, saying it has a deficit of 150 patrol vessels needed to checkmate insecurity in the nation’s territorial water .
This is coming as the Senate halted the attempt to suspend operations of Messrs OMLS Limited and other security agencies at the Safe Anchorage Area of the Lagos ports from providing security services at the natino’ns waters.
Presenting the joint committees report, Senator George Sekibo, submitted that the Nigerian Navy should be properly funded to enable it procure needed vessels to clear the over 150 vessels deficit and carry out their constitutional responsibilities without over depending on Private Maritime Logistics Support Companies (PMLSC).
Also Senator Adeola Olamilekan representing Lagos West, revealed that $10,500 was paid per day by the Nigeria Maritime Administrative and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to hire patrol vessel from a private marine company, Messrs OMLS Limited to assist the Navy to secure the water ways.
The Senate had earlier mandated its committees on Navy, Marine Transport and Finance to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the activities of Messrs OMLS Limited and other security agencies at the Safe Anchorage Area of the Lagos ports.
Below are the General findings of the investigative report,1) “That the Nigerian Ports Act, 1954 had given the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) the responsibility of charting, designating, owning, operating and managing anchorage areas but was silent on the provision or establishment of the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA);
2) That both the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency (NIMASA) are of the views that issues related to anchorage and anchorage areas are the responsibility of NPA;
3) That the Nigerian Navy is responsible for securing the Nigerian territorial waterways and is at liberty to be in a collaboration that will effectively enhanced its operations and aid in delivering its mandate;
4) That the Nigerian Navy are currently in deficit of about one hundred and fifty (150) patrol boats that will help it in checkmating the insecurity in the Nigerian sea and ports;
5) That two (2) out of the three (3) patrol boats given to the Nigerian Navy by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) through NIMASA in 2014 to enhance security presence in the ports are dysfunctional;
6) That the heighten insecurity in the Nigerian waters in 2012, particularly at the Lagos waters led to the establishment of the SAA;
7) That relevant Government Agencies (NPA, NIMASA, DPR & Nigerian Navy) were involved in the meetings and consultation process that led to the establishment of the SAA;
8) That the Nigerian Navy as the institution saddle with the responsibility of securing the Nigerian territorial waterways operate in the SAA with platforms; logistics and technical support provided by OMSL;
9) That the boats provided by OMSL at the SAA are painted in Nigerian Navy colours, given Navy call signs and operated essentially as part of the naval fleet under the command and control of the Nigerian Navy;
10) That OMSL patrol boats in the SAA are operating under the command and control of the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command in accordance with the provision of extent MoU between the company and the Nigerian Navy;
11) That the existence and operation of the SAA cannot in any way be a threat to national security as it is being operated and supervised by the Nigerian Navy and not by OMSL directly;
12) That the allegation that the SAA pose a security threat to the Country is an indirect indictment on the Nigerian Navy as it’s the one operating on the platforms with the logistics provided by OMSL;
13) That the Nigerian Navy had on different occasions emphasized that its interest is for an enhanced and advanced maritime security to all users of the sea and as such wants to maintain neutrality;
14) That the neutrality of the Nigerian Navy is difficult to ascertain due to the fact that it operates on the platforms and logistics provided by OMSL at the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA);
15) That the establishment of the SAA has not contravened the provisions of any national or international maritime laws ascribed or acceded to by Nigeria;
16) That the platforms/services offered by OMSL at the SAA were reviewed by international agencies and certified it as safe and of international standard;
17) That the establishment of the SAA is in line with international best practices;
18) That maritime security stakeholders are aware of the existence of the Secured Anchorage Area since 2013;
19) That Newspaper publication and Marine Notice were made to mariners for the availability of the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA) facility by both NPA and NIMASA in 2013 and 2014 respectively;
20) That OMSL is an indigenous company that currently employs 7,540 Nigerians in both direct and indirect employment;
21) That the company had made huge investment into the operation of the Secured Anchorage Area and is still indebted to banks with not less than 63 vessels on sea assisting the Nigerian Navy to carry out patrol operations;
22) That the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) provides anchorage services near the Fairway Buoy for free of charge but a number of ships/vessels owners prefer to anchor at the SAA;
23) That the services of the SAA is rendered outside the ports limits and pilotage district at a maritime zone over 10 nautical miles from the Fairway Buoy offshore;
24) That the services are rendered purely on demand and was never made compulsory for all vessels coming to Lagos Ports;
25) That users of the services offered in the SAA are charged $2,500 the first day and $1,500 in subsequent days which is far less than what was being spent by vessels owners before the establishment of the SAA;
26) That the operation of the SAA comes with huge expenditure in engineering, maintenance of the patrol boats, fuel, victuals and other logistics requirements;
27) That the end users of the services of the SAA operated by OMSL are paying for the logistics elements supplied by the company that enables the Nigerian Navy to maintain constant presence at their locations;
28) That the average numbers of days stayed by any vessel in the SAA is not more than six days;
29) That shippers/vessel owners before the establishment of SAA hired minimum of three (3) armed mercenaries for security when coming to Gulf of Guinea (Nigeria) at a minimum of $7,500 per day;
30) That the major factor that prompted the decision of NPA to request for the stoppage of the SAA is for the need to reduce the cost incurred by vessels owners when calling to Nigerian Ports and the need to promote ease of doing business in the country;
31) That in matters relating to port cost, the Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC) takes the lead as the Economic Regulator of the ports as it’s the one with such responsibility and as such, NPA cannot act unilaterally;
32) That there is the need to extend the type of services rendered at the SAA at the Lagos ports to other ports in the country, this is due to its ability in effectively securing ships/vessels waiting to berth at the Lagos ports;
33) That ships/vessels owners are satisfied with the services rendered at the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA) and unanimously want it to be sustained;
34) That ships/vessels owners are comfortable with fees charged for the services rendered at the SAA by OMSL and had not complain to the Government or any of its Agencies;
35) That the insurance premium paid by ships/vessels owners has reduced by their insurers after reviewing the effectiveness of the security arrangement provided by the SAA;
36) That since the establishment of the SAA, the freight charges on cargos destined to Lagos ports have stabilized;
37) That it will be difficult to convince a domain expert in the maritime industry that the fees charges at the SAA facility could increase port cost;
38) That the provision of the SAA comes to Government at no cost;
39) That the provision of an alternative to the SAA will require a huge budgetary allocation from the Government;
40) That no alternative provision is in place that will provide the needed security for vessels waiting to berth at Lagos ports like the current Secured Anchorage Area (SAA) operated by OMSL;
41) That in the past six (6) years of rendering the services of the SAA, all pirate attacks in the SAA have been repealed thus given the service a 100% success level;
42) That the SAA facility has indeed restored the confidence of the Nigerian merchant and shippers in the use of Lagos ports;
43) That the SAA facility does not cost the Government anything but rather helped to reduce Government expenditure in providing security at the nation’s waters;
44) That there is the need for Government Agencies to understand their schedule of duty and responsibility as well as the areas of their jurisdiction to avoid possible overlap of function; and
45) That there is no genuine intention in the argument being canvassed by those seeking for the dismantling of the SAA facility due to the fact that no alternative arrangement has been put in place.
Recommendations of the committe are:”That the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Ports Authority and NIMASA, should be commended for initiating and implementing a process that led to the provision of enhanced and advanced maritime security in the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA) in the Lagos waters in 2013 that has led in checkmating the high rate of attacks on vessels waiting to berth at the Lagos ports;
“That Ocean Marine Solution Limited (OMSL) should be commended for its genuine national interests in investing over Four Hundred Million ($400,000,000) Dollars into the Security at the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA) in particular and the Nigerian waterways in general by providing the needed platforms and logistics for the Nigerian Navy to effectively perform 24/7/365 patrol operations as well as to provide the required protection for vessels waiting to berth at the Lagos ports;
“That since no fraud is found in the operations of the OMSL and is operating at no cost to government, OMSL should be allowed to continue its operation at the SAA until such a time when a better and more cost effective system is put in place by the government.
“That the Nigerian Navy should be properly funded to enable it procure needed vessels to clear the over one hundred and fifty (150) vessels deficit to enable them carry out their constitutional responsibilities without over depending on Private Maritime Logistics Support Companies (PMLSC)”.
