Vincent Toritseju
Lagos — PROFESSIONAL Maritime Forum, PMF, expressed concern over the rate at which seafarers are being imprisoned due to no fault of theirs, saying it has become a worrisome development that needs to be urgently addressed.
Speaking at a maritime stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, President of the PMF, Capt. Oluwasegun Akanbi said that there are many Nigerian seafarers in various jails across the globe due to issues that are no fault of theirs.
Akanbi disclosed that there are crewmen that have been in detention, while the ship owners who know about the products or services that incriminated them are free and going about their businesses.
He explained that there were so many crewmen that have been accosted by the Nigerian Navy for non possession of Naval permit to lift petroleum products, a development that is new.
He also said that ‘‘the crew are only brought on board to man these vessels but the deal to lift products is none of the crews’ business, so why arrest crewmen that know nothing about a deal that was struck between businessmen.
“Some of the actions taken against crewmen in Nigeria are unconstitutional as they are not spelt out in black and white; what kind of operation requires Naval approval and what is the essence of this approval, who issue this approval.
“There is always a fight between crew and charterers because the crew insist that they need Naval approval, the owner of the vessel say no you do not need Naval approval and they arrest is made, it is the crew that suffers while the owners who ought to have sourced the approval walks away.
“Because this issue is not legislated, the crew are at the receiving end of the action of the ship owner. If it were a proper law and everybody knows that this is what is obtainable in Nigeria, there will not be this misunderstanding between the crew and the ship owner.’’
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