Posted on April 17, 2024
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has spent over $200million on dredging the channels leading to the Lagos Port Complex (LPC), the Tin-Can Island Port, Roro Port and container terminal in the last 10 years, it was learnt.
NPA, it was gathered, spent the amount on the dredging of the channels at a yearly scope of 2.6million cubic meters per year.
Speaking with The Nation at the weekend, a senior official of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue economy, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent that the initial cost of dredging per cubic meter was $3.71 million before it was increased based on the need for the maintenance of navigational aids, purchase of spare parts, depth surveys and wreck removal to meet the full requirements of SOLAS and ensure international standards are maintained.
Each of the quarters of the years, the senior official said, “a depth survey of the channels were conducted in accordance with the accepted regulations of the International Hydrographic Office (IHO,).
The reports and the charts, the senior official added, “are computerised in a format that confirms to the SOLAS requirements.”
The Managing Director of NPA, Muhammed Bello-Koko, the government official said, “has established a state-of-the-art computerised billing system that has enthroned proper collection of ship dues, providing an efficient monitoring and collecting procedure of the NPA’s revenue which has resulted in the increase of the revenues earned by the Federal Government in the last few years.”
To improve the financial viability of the NPA, its management, investigation revealed, has decided to maximise the use of the official depth references, in accordance with the reference chart maps, by continuing to increase the size of the ships ( maximising the acceptable draft limits) in order to increase the volume of goods into the ports and increase government revenue to boost the nation’s economy.
The Lagos Port Complex (LPC), is the primary gateway for cargo trafficking into the the West Africa region, due to the traditional volumes of trade within Nigeria and high level of accessible routes throughout the hinterland.
In this respect, “it is essential for the NPA to provide the required attention and ensure that the water depths are maintained, have concrete plan for the channels to the entrance to the ports at the statutory levels.
“In accordance with Nigerian law, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), is responsible for maintaining the optimal depths in the channels and that is why it had to spend about $200million to make the channels safe in the last 10 years.
“In view of the projected increase in the size and quantity of the ships and, in accordance with the 2006 privatisation policy of the Federal Government, channel management is the sole responsibility of the NPA,” the Ministry official said.
These responsibilities, the senior ministry official said, “ cover the maintenance of the channel, depths and the navigational means that are required for the safe sailing of the vessels through the entrance to the port and within the ports.”
Further investigation conducted by The Nation revealed that the NPA has the responsibility covering general management of the access channel, collection and payment of port dues, quarterly field bathymetrical surveys, producing the required bathymetrical survey charts, regular survey of the position and status of the navigation aids, maintenance of navigation aids, guarantee the navigability of the access channel to the officially publicised depth, monitoring the navigability of the access channels in respect of wrecks and locating marine pollution among others.
