President of the Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES), Engr. Israel Obadan, has said that the association’s forthcoming marine technical summit would focus on key discussions to proffer growth solutions for the nation’s bourgeoning Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
The Summit, in its 16th edition, will be held on Thursday, 19 September 2024, at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos.
Speaking in an interview on Wednesday in Lagos, Obadan said that AMES has taken it as a professional responsibility to support the industry with its wealth of knowledge in marine engineering and related areas, to address needs to drive further development of the sector.
Key among the areas to attract high-profile discussions include essential operations in the blue economy such as fishery, desalination – an effort to produce fresh water for improved drinking water for several local communities, and manpower development for efficiency in marine operations.
“We are tailoring this Summit to marine transport and blue economy. This is actually informed by the buzz of the new Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. We want to come in and be able to support the Ministry to know that we have professionals they can call on. We would share with them on things we know, and show them the way things are done.
“Talking about the Blue Economy, Nigeria has been a part of it in a long time. As far back as in the ’70s Nigeria bought the most sophisticated fishing vessels brand new. Koko Port in present-day Delta State was dedicated as a fishing port for that. Now, I think Koko Port has been turned into a Naval Base.
“However, revisiting that blue economy investment is not beyond us, because these things were done in the ‘70s and were backed by very strong economic policy decisions. Such policy decisions were driven by politicians and these can still be done if the right political will exists. This is not different from the possibility that we saw with just one man pushing the Marine and Blue Economy Ministry to life. We had talked so much about it in the years past, but it just took one man to bring it to bear. I hope that after President Tinubu’s time in office somebody would not just come and throw this idea aside,” Obadan said.
Speaking on the effort to highlight the need and importance of desalination, the AMES president said: “It is also important that we highlight the need for desalination, which involves producing fresh water from salt water (Ocean water). Chevron has actually been doing it for a long time now. They have been doing this in the creeks, and this brilliant effort can be done by government too, to support more fresh water production for communities.”
He noted that places as the United Arab Emirate does desalination as a way of providing its citizens with fresh water. “These are going to be some of the benefits from our technical summit,” he added, as he urged policymakers to adopt good policy briefs for people development beyond the present time.
His words: “We hope that the policy makers would listen fully to our suggestions. That is why we are inviting all the politicians. We are using this opportunity to encourage them about how well good policies remain helpful even beyond their stay in office.”
A very critical issue that the summit aims to highlight is the importance of developing the nation’s Maritime Training Institutions (MTIs) and sustaining them along the lines of global standard of training and certification.
The AMES president emphasized that the MTIs must be seen and known for proficiency in manpower development for the industry according to set global standard for competency to operate in the marine environment.
“Well, mariners are well-trained professionals. A lot is put into their training because of the environment in which they work and the assets that they handle; you can imagine the value of a ship. These days the ships have become bigger and more sophisticated and more expensive. So, for people who would handle such assets, they must be properly trained. That is why the International Maritime Organisation, the United Nations arm of the maritime industry, takes training of mariners very seriously.
“Accidents, which are some maritime emergencies, would always happen, but well-trained professionals are equipped to manage the situations. For their training, there is no cutting of corners. As a result of the demands of the job, the mariners ensure they are skilled according to the requirement of the Standard of Training Certification and Watch-keeping (STCW) Convention, which is like a bible for seafarers. Everything there must be adhered to regarding the mariners’ training and education,” he said.
Equally important, Obadan noted, is the fact that the Flag Authority must be equipped with professional personnel as it performs regulatory functions in the MTIs. In same vein, the ship inspection regime can only be efficient with well-trained and highly-skilled personnel as key process for safety.
“Everything you do in the maritime industry is well-streamlined according to laid-down principles of practice. No cutting corners. For the ship inspection duties, the personnel must be very well-trained too, because they ensure that the ships are technically fit. to sail all the time- their seaworthiness should not be in doubt,” Obadan said.
