Harboursandport.com: Lagos --- Ghanaian Minister of Transportation,
Hon Kwaku Ofori
Asiamah, has blamed the presence of substandard vessels plying the continents
waters on the economic situation face by the ship-owners in Africa, leading to
cutting corners to make ends meet.
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| Ghanaian Minister of Transportation, Hon Kwaku Ofori Asiamah |
Speaking at the just
concluded 3rd Ministerial Conference of the Abuja Memorandum of
Understanding on Port State Control (Abuja MoU) which held in Accra, Ghana,
Asiamah noted that as a result of the growth in international trade and the
servicing requirements of modern
logistics systems, the shipping chain places increasing pressure on the profits
of ship owners.
The Ghanaian Minister
explained that in their quest to make profit, some ship-owners often resort to
cutting corners and undermining best practices. They do this by neglecting the
maintenance and repair of vessels, prolonging the work life of vessels beyond
the age at which they would usually be sold off as scrap.
He also pointed out that
they man ships with poorly trained or inadequately equipped personnel who are
to navigate the vessels and transport cargo. This practice encourages the
increase in the number of substandard ships in existence on the waters today,
he stressed.
Under the Abuja MoU, he
explained, member states are required to target at least 15% of foreign ships
calling at the ports for port state control inspections.
According to him, “Reliable
statistics over the years indicate that as a sub region, we are far from
meeting the 15% target. For example, in 2016, the report from the Abuja MoU
indicated that only 4% of vessels were inspected by port state control
officers. This development is not encouraging and calls for immediate attention.”
He called on the member nations to raise issues as to why targets are not being
met. Is it due to inadequate equipment and qualified personnel? He tasked
parties to the Abuja MoU to consider establishing an audit assessment mechanism
among member nations to ensure that port state control officers perform their
normal duties diligently even as maritime administrations implement the right
measures. He urged member nations to, in the spirit of the theme of the
conference, “tighten the net through effective coordination and harmonization
of port state control procedures to 9mprove maritime safety and eliminate the
menace posed by the operation of substandard ships in the sub region.”
In his address, Nigeria’s
Transportation Minister, Mr Rotimi Amaechi expressed delight that the port
state control regional agreement has continued to expand its frontiers by
strengthening and expanding into new areas making it impossible for
unscrupulous ship owners to identify convenient ports to trade and evade Port
State Inspection and possible detention. He advised that while focusing on
eliminating substandard shipping, greater attention should also be paid to the
ship and crew proficiency. “This is particularly important because an
incompetent crew can turn the most modern vessel into a potential hazard
culminating into loss of lives, property and pollution of the marine
environment.”
Amaechi called on member
nations to identify and engage all relevant stakeholders to further boost the
effectiveness of the Port State Control Inspection regime and foster
cooperation in the drive to eliminate substandard shipping. “I therefore
call for a more all-inclusive stakeholder interactive session in our different
jurisdictions to enable us work together in addressing areas of common concern
and further bring to fore the safety administrations’ zero tolerance for
non-compliance with maritime safety standards.”
Beautiful!
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