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| Source: nationalgeographic.com |
Executive Officer of Millennium Shipping and Marine Services Ltd., on Thursday
suggested a proper monitoring of ongoing wreck removal project in the nation’s
territorial waters.
Egenti
made the suggestion in an interview in Lagos.
He
said there should be proper monitoring of the wreck removal project to produce
satisfactory works.
Egenti
said government had sunk “huge’’ amount of money into the project.
According
to him, before now, government has been setting aside budgets for removal of
wrecks but the situation is that most of these wrecks are not removed and
government keeps paying for it.
“If
you remove the wreck, government will pay for it; if you don’t remove the
wreck, government will not pay you,’’ he said.
Egenti
said the nation’s maritime industry “ will experience remarkable improvement
if such project (wreck removal) monitoring is replicated in all areas of the
sub-sector’’.
He said,
“Nigeria, being a huge maritime nation, could only maintain a hub status when
projects are handled professionally to meet the needs they are designed for.’’
The
Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and
Safety Agency (NIMASA) in 2009, got the Federal Government’s approval to remove
wrecks from the nation’s waters at a cost of N3.4 billion.
Twenty
four of the wrecks were deemed highly critical to navigation around Nigerian
waters.
Surveys
conducted in the Lagos waters before the commencement of the project, show that
more than 100 wrecks were lying in different locations along the channel.
Out of
the 31 wrecks considered very critical to navigation, NIMASA is working on
seven.
The
practitioner called for proper monitoring of other ongoing projects in the
shipping industry to achieve set goals.
According
to him, infrastructure development in the maritime industry should be
facilitated and brought to a conclusion.
He
also said the perennial problem of traffic gridlock on Apapa/Oshodi Expressway
leading to the Lagos ports should be addressed.
