Vincent Toritseju
Lagos — The Centre for Marine Surveyors, Nigeria, has condemned the recent sinking of a patrol boat belonging the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, saying that ‘’ The lack of technocrats in the agency is the result of what we are seeing.’’
Speaking to Sweetcrudereports, President of the Centre, Engr Akin Olaniyan said that if urgent steps are not taken to stop the ugly trend, there will be no maritime industry in few years.
Olaniyan stated that the agency is supposed to be a depository full of technocrats who understand the urgency of a distressed boat and takes action immediately.
He stated that the development is unacceptable in a shipping country like Nigeria adding that safety has been compromised on all fronts.
The lamented that the last explosion of a Floating Production Storage Offshore, FPSO was also due to the compromised safety of the marine system in Nigeria, the development has also stunted the growth of nation’s flag’s administration in comity of flag administrations.
He said: “I am out of the country now, when I come back, I wish to see the leadership of NIMASA and see how we can help and maybe we will also have an audience with the Minister Transportation.
“We have said it before, NIMASA is full of bureaucrats, we need technocrats who understand the meaning of urgency.
“We have a bunch of gatekeepers; our flag administration is not moving forward. The industry is in ruin and if we continue on these tangents, we are going headlong into ruins.
‘They think they know everything what is going on is unacceptable, for you to have a shipping registered, you have oil or grease a lot of palms before your papers can be signed.
“Safety should not be compromised in any way, the last FPSO explosion was also due to safety being compromised. If this trends does not stop, vey soon, there will no industry for us.
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