1. An owner of vessels who allow his vessels to be idle (See here) lacks sufficient knowledge to own vessels and should not be in the business of shipping or water transportation.
2. The depreciation of a vessel left idle will continue progressively until the value of the ship or vessel will become less than the cost of removing it from the waterways.
3. Allowing the vessel to depreciate to the level in paragraph 2 above leads to a wreck in a navigable waterway.
4. Allowing or making it possible for a vessel to attain the level of becoming a wreck shows serious weakness in the authorities concern with the protection of navigable waterways and the environment.
5. The consequence of a ship/vessel wreck, apart from the hazard to navigation pose serious health threats to the citizens who depend on the water for domestic purposes. We are also told that accumulation of wrecks is a factor in climate change.
6. The observation that ferries and supporting workshops all over the country are unutilised and are allowed to be wasting is unfortunate and I personally consider it unjustifiable.
7. It is unjustifiable because the core policy function of the executing agency, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), is yearning for the dividend of implementation.
8. My interpretation of the core function of NIWA is to ensure at Federal level the provision of inland water transportation, alleviation of poverty of riverside dwellers by affordable safe water transportation to integrate them into the economic system of the nation.
These functions that appears to be taken for granted is most essential for a solid foundation for the sustainable social economic growth of our dear country.
9. May I suggest that prompt action be taken to rescue whatever is left of the ferries and the workshops without leaving wrecks in our waterways?
I am aware that the authority had plans for these functions, let the plans be reviewed, use them to attract investors, concession where possible and subsidise in other areas to have a national coverage of water transport support.
Let not our assets be wasted especially when the functions for which they were obtained have not been fulfilled.
Hopefully, this contribution has some value.
Olu Akinsoji is a renowned Marine Engineer
