Landfall, NPA concessionaire flouts Cabotage law

Harboursandport.com: Lagos ---

Landfall Coastal and Marine Services, the concessionaire operating the pilotage service of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, are not only flouting the Cabotage Act in engaging foreigners to man their vessels but are discriminating against Nigerian seafarers.

This is even as the General Manager of Landfall, Hilik Kalusky, told Harboursandport to go report the police, stressing that nothing will happen.

Investigation revealed that Landfall engages unqualified seafarers from Greece, Philippine and some other countries who are trained by their Nigerian counterparts at resumption.

Seafarers on board a vessel

Despite the flouting of the Cabotage Act which makes it unlawful for vessels operating within the nation's waters to be crewed by foreigners, the company pay Nigerians pie nuts, with a foreign Able Seaman earning far more than a Nigerian captain.

A source in the company told said that while a Nigerian Able seaman gets N20,000 monthly upkeep while board and N70,000 monthly salary; their foreigner gets N35,000 and $2,000 for monthly up keep and monthly salary for the same function.

For the captains, while the Nigerians get between N280,000 to N320,000 monthly as salary, their foreign counterparts go home with 3,200 Euros monthly.

The source also said that the labour union of the company had taken the issue to their mother union (the NPA branch of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN) and the MWUN both in writing and verbally without any response.

The Nigerian seafarers are also placed on contract of a year renewable after it elapses.

A situation which makes it easy for the management of the company to refuse the renewal of the contract of any staff who stresses more on their entitlement.

It was also learnt that a former chairman of the labour union of the company, Hillary Okorie was the first victim as his contract was not renewed for his fight to right the wrongs against the workers.

The source also accused the leadership to have compromised and therefore are unable to act on the matter.

Efforts to reach the President General of MWUN, Adewale Adeyunjo, proved abortive as he neither picked his calls nor responded to a text message on the issue.

Efforts to speak with the Human Resource Manager of Landfall Coastal & Marine Services, Theodora Sambo Nweze, proved abortive as she did not pick up her call.

According to Kalusky when he was told of the alleged disparity in payment of seafarers, said: “Really, if that is the case contact the police” before his phone line went dead.