Maritime operators set to tackle technical, financial challenges

Major stakeholders in the maritime sector are expected to converge in Lagos, next week, to examine the policy, technical, and financial challenges bedevilling indigenous ship operations in Nigeria.

The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, is expected to be the Special Guest of Honour at the second Maritime Technical Summit, slated for May 22nd, at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The Summit, themed, “Ship Operations in Nigeria: Policy, Technical, Financial Challenges and Solutions: The Perspective of the Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES),” will proffer possible solutions to these issues.

Speaking on the nitty-gritty of the event, the Vice President of AMES, and Chairman Planning Committee for the Summit, Yinka Okunade, observed that it is usually to identify a particular problem facing the maritime industry, and suggest solutions to the relevant authorities.

Okunade described the theme of the Summit as very relevant, as it is built around issues affecting the maritime industry, which will attract eminent personalities to handle the topics that have been carefully selected.

Also, the President of AMES, Charles Uwadia, disclosed that the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, has accepted to partner with them on the Summit, and has also volunteered to present one of the key papers on policies.

He explained, “We even went a step further, Greg Ogbeifun, Starzs, who is the President of SOAN is going to talk on ship acquisition and the challenges.

We are even bringing Diamond Bank to give us an insight into the problems they are having in financing ship acquisition and maintenance, because this is one area we are having a lot of problems when it comes to capacity building. So, the Diamond Bank has agreed and accepted to be part of the event, and also to present a paper on that day.

“In fact, we have our own respectable Czar in the industry, Chief Adebayo Sarumi, is going to be there also to moderate the technical session, and at the end of the day, they will identify the problems, and we now sit down to chart a way forward,” he said.