Nigerian waters are safe for merchant shipping - Shippers Council

Harboursandport.com: Lagos - 

Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers 'Council, NSC,  Hassan Bello, has attributed  the imposition of surcharges on Nigerian bound cargo to  imaginary security concerns along the Gulf of Guinea region.

Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello

He said these foreign shipping firms for mis-categorisation and exaggeration of security situation in the country to justify surcharges they unjustly levied on cargo destined to Nigeria.

Bello said there are security challenges but it is not peculiar to Nigeria alone as many countries of the world are witnessing such security challenges.

He stated: ‘‘Such incidences like pilfering, armed robbery at sea piracy and other infractions are not too frequent in our shores and is of less magnitude but our detractors will always magnify it to portray us in bad light.’’

Bello praised the collaboration between the Nigerian Navy, NIMASA and other relevant security agencies which to a large extent has reduced such incidences in Nigerian water ways adding that statistics has shown that Nigerian Navy has foiled about 90 percent of such incidence in Nigeria’s water ways.

NSC as Ports Economic Regulator, recently called for inter agency collaboration to strengthen institutional capabilities that will create a seamless security architecture that will provide a robust security in Nigeria’s maritime domain thereby adding value to the stimulating  of the national economy.