Shipping association raises alarm over 2,300 yearly stowaways

Boma Alabi SAN

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The Shipping Association of Nigeria has stated that the association records over 2,300 stowaways annually. This is even as the group added that for each repatriated stowaway, shipping lines are mandated to pay $2,000 to the government.

The Chairman of SAN, Boma Alabi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, disclosed this on Friday in Lagos while addressing some selected journalists. Giving a breakdown of the arrests, she explained that a minimum of two to three stowaways are arrested every week per ship.

“And we have about 15 ships coming to Nigeria. So if you multiply three stowaways by 52 weeks, making up a year, by 15 ships that come to the country, you will have 2,340 stowaways every year. And for each stowaway that is repatriated, we pay $2,000,” she said.

Alabi, who is also the President of Shipping Agencies, Clearing and Forwarding Employers Association, said that the issue of stowaways is very common in the Nigerian maritime domain. Boma lamented that despite paying some government agencies to protect the ships and make the environment conducive, these stowaways still find their way onto their ships.

“Meanwhile, we are paying these agencies for the safety of the vessels, and they are collecting their payment in US dollars. Again, dollarising the economy, and yet you are not providing the service. You are not providing the service. You are putting Nigerians at risk because of these stowaways, some of them lose their lives in the process. And it’s out of ignorance,” Alabi stated.

Alabi described stowaways as a major pandemic in the country that needs to be dealt with. The SAN chairman emphasised that these inefficiencies impact the quality of her exports.

“Why is there such a high rejection rate of Nigerian agricultural produce? Because we have such delays. By the time I load my container here, and it takes me six to eight weeks to get it out of the country, my competitor, once they come, they go out immediately.”

According to her, government agencies have a duty to do right and efficiently. “So, until these agencies realise that this inefficiency is killing trade and impacting negatively on the maritime sector, and in so doing on all of us, imagine the number of jobs that are being lost. Because we’re not expanding, because the demand is not there. Lekki Port is one of the first new investments we’ve had in many, many years,” she said.

SAN represents major shipping-line agents and maritime stakeholders operating in Nigeria.

Anozie is a Chief Correspondent with PUNCH. He has over 13 years experience covering entertainment, maritime and transport sectors

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