Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Continued from yesterday
By the way, we got some report that you brought in two tug boats, for NPA, both new-built; but the NPA abandoned them here for whatever reasons. Is this true?
It is not true. You are wrongly holding a false notion. The truth is that the NPA realized that there is a lot of demands for bigger tug boats especially in Lagos because the vessels that are coming are huge.
So, they drew plans for acquiring four tug boats. Two of the boats have arrived; and those were the two tug boats by Dammam Shipyard. Those were the tug boats you’ve seen.
But they were not abandoned. You must understand that bureaucracy can take a little bit of time to take care of things. There was need for paper works and it was during the time that we kept them here. It was when the NPA actually finalized the paper works that it took delivery of them, because they belonged to the NPA 100 percent. Their names are Uromi and Majaiya; the model is 2810. They are very powerful tug boats; 60-tons-bullard pull boats each. They are currently the biggest in Lagos. Earlier, the biggest was 45-bullard pull each and the margin is the additional benefit that Lagos is getting in terms of tug boats.
They have been commissioned and they have begun to work. They provide Lagos with the modern and best technology in the world today. The engine, a MTU, is one of the strongest in the world. They are German engines. The Navy is using one of the engines.
The NPA has taken them over fully and they are under the control of the Harbour Master. They are already working 24/7. At this minute, the Uromi is in Tin Can.
The Majaiya and the Zaranda are at this minute (July 22 afternoon), is turning a ship, the Marina with the Imo Number 89667 at the Tin Can.
The Uromi is presently on standby waiting for its next assignment from the Harbour Master, like the other tug boats.
The two new-built are usually devoted to the extra big ships sailing in, while the other tugs are devoted to the smaller vessels sailing in. It is part of the super-efficiency gains that Lagos is enjoying.
So how many tug boats has Lagos now within its fleet?
With the two new build, Lagos now has eight tug boats, three pilot cutters, for the movement of the pilots to meet the arriving ships, at the Fairway Buoy; and then four mooring boats for the movement of NPA officials from Marina to Harbour Masters, and do other logistics-thereby bringing everything to a total of 15.
Our investigation shows that the NIMASA did recruitment sometimes ago, and most of your staff fled to NIMASA. Are you sure you are treating your staff very well?
We are very proud that NIMASA was chasing after my staff. If the agency wanted to recruit them, it means we are very good. It makes us happy.
Besides, we also encourage everybody to go; for everyone who wants to go, we encourage them. We believe the best messengers to any agency, is your former staff; because they can talk of you better than anyone else.
But today, many of those recruited by NIMASA are still coming here to visit us. They are very happy to come, visiting. And that should convince you that both the agency and our staff appreciate the high standards we have established in terms of professionalism. We are very proud to be recognized as having staff with high ethical standards.
Today, the Landfall alone has employed more than 200 local staff. And we are training and re-training them. We have a ratio of 1:10. About 10 percent of staff are expatriates. And even most of the expatriate are simply coming and going. They don’t stay here all the time.
The Landfall is working in the light of international standards. And that explains why we need to bring in only certified captains; which we mostly cannot find here.
In the beginning, we started by recruiting the Nigerian ex-tug masters. But none of them was certified internationally. In the past, each country was contented to certify its captain since they work within its shores. Each country could give its own certificates- meaning ‘I approve of you to drive my vessel’.
But today, when you bring in international companies like the Landfall to manage platforms, then you must also bring in internationally certified people, because they are going to have contact with internationally trading vessels. That explains why we also need to keep training and retraining our local staffs. And which explains why proactive agencies like NIMASA would naturally want to come and recruit from us. We are proud of our staff. Our staff are our pride!
Most of the Nigerian staff are good. But it is not all of them that have good papers. So, we bring in those without good papers; merge them with those expatriate with good papers; and then we begin to train and retrain those without good papers. They become very good in due course. So, you can now understand why our staff are in so much higher demand. It is not a one- night affairs- we send them for mandatory trainings. Our pool is highly and enviably stocked!
For instance, the Charkin, a school from Port Harcourt was here to renew the mandatories; and for three or four days, the Charkin was here, grilling our staff; for the mandatories. I am talking of the crew of the Landfall and the LCM who are working on board of the dredgers. It also mean the we must pay to ascertain the medical papers of our crew, since you cannot get the mandatories without presenting updated medical certificates duly obtained after required medical tests.
The 200 landfall are also working according to the condition of service, as internationally required- in respect of the boats, the unions and the management, especially in respect of what is expected of each party.
For instance, we maintain the service 24/7. Each tug boat has four sets of crew; two are in the house but yet must get paid, while two are on board, because they need to work on shifts. And after six weeks, those on board would go home to rest and still get paid; while those resting at home would take over from them and work for the next six weeks. It is the only way to maintain the 24/7 operations.
Without keeping two sets on onboard, you can’t do a 24/7. The traffic in Lagos would allow it; if you have to always wait for people to come from home to resume. This is why we man the crew on board the vessel. And that means we have to supply them food, medicals, clothes, comfortable bed to sleep; air conditional etc. They are living in the vessels. They get sentimentally attached to the vessels and they take care of their vessels like their own babies. It is not a house, it is their home! And whatever we put in place on the vessels, are also what obtain in the dredgers also.
Some years ago, you embarked on a cadetship program; which involved training Nigerians to become enviable seafarers. What is the situation now?
Yes you are right. Five years ago we started with 40 cadets, 20 engines and 20 decks. And because there was no good institution that can prepare the cadets in Nigeria for the STCW examination. We spoke with many marine consultants who advised that the best place was Ghana Regional Maritime University. So, we sent all our cadets there. They learnt the theories there. And come here for practice. So, it has been a theory, practical, theory-practical and they were going back and forth.
But today we have produced seven engineers who would up-grade, for higher class. E have also produced five decks. Out of five decks three are already master mariners.
They are today, certified tug masters and master mariners. It also means, they can go with their certificates to work, anywhere in the world!
Again we are proud of them. And candidly speaking, I am particularly, very proud of them!
In the past, some people used to steal or vandalized your navigational equipment, including buoys what is the situation now?
Our navigational aids in the channel are today more intact. I can say that it is very very rare today to see anyone vandalizing or stealing any of them. As a matter of fact, the last I heard that we lost a buoy was more than a year ago.
This is because we are working in the port 24/7 as I told you before; partly by the tug boats and partly by the dredgers. And they are passing almost around every one of them both day and night; since we are working 24/7.
So, one of their assignments is to keep an eye on all our equipment and report every suspicious movement. Don’t forget that the vessels are also passing by. So, it is now very challenging for anyone to stray towards the equipment without being sighted before he is through with such illegal operation.
Perhaps, it is also another proof to you, that the traffic is now a very busy one. But, it is not only buoys that can be vandalized. Other things can be vandalized or stolen. But then, it is not an action restricted to Nigeria alone. Crimes are committed in every part of the world. And when such happens, it is because they could and would happen from time to time and not necessarily because it is Nigeria!
What is the depth of the channel in Lagos?
The depth of the channel is presently, 13.5 metres and above, in most places. We promised that we are not going to have anything less than 13,5 meters depths; even at the lowest tide! And I can assure you that more than 80 percent of the channel meets the requirement. So, we have in most parts of the channel 13.5 meters and above.
These are facts and facts are sacred. If there were not enough depths bigger ships would not be able to come; and without the bigger ships, you cannot see the glowing development along the channels.
For instance, the LADOL (Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics) is now investing a lot of money. The Flour Mill is investing a lot of money; the APMT is investing so much; the MSC is doing exactly the same and even the Niger Dock is not left behind; the MRS has embarked on huge investment along the channels. It is because they know that the available infrastructure on ground can support it.
Coiled from Business Monitor