Maritime Agencies
SPEEDY TRIAL OF CASES: Stakeholders At MASPAN/AMANO Summit Caution NDLEA, Other Agencies.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and similar regulatory bodies have been asked to change their investigative tactics, speed up and desist from unduly dragging investigations into cases of drugs found on vessels. Delay, it is argued, places at a huge disadvantage ship crew, shipowners and importers aboard vessels suspected to carry drugs and other illicit substances especially when, at the end of the day, they are found not culpable for such transactions.
Interventions by shipping experts unanimously pointed this way in Lagos,Thursday, when shipping and security stakeholders converged at the Maritime Security Providers Association of Nigeria (MASPAN) and Alumni of Maritime Academy of Nigeria Oron (AMANO) summit to discuss “Drugs & Human Smuggling/Trafficking: The Evolving Maritime Security Threats To Ships Seafarers”.
They observed that shipowners lose millions of dollars to vessel delays, legal costs, crew salaries and inconveniences including additional costs on their families during delayed investigation of drug trafficking suspicions.
Several shipowners, the experts observed, have gone into depression and bankruptcy as they battle loss of business opportunities and other inconveniences.
Speaking at the event, Capt Suresh Prabhakar, Director, Operations, Pacific Basin Shipping Ltd, Hong Kong, deplored a situation where the regulatory agencies would detain ships for a long period of time, spend months on investigation only to discover later that the crew, shipowners and even importers do not have a hand in the transactions.
“From February 2021 to July 2024,” he pointed out, “there were 4 bulk carriers laden with sugar from Santos, Brazil, to Lagos where cocaine of quantities varying from 18 to 43 kilograms were discovered onboard each ship by the NDLEA.”
“During the course of the investigations, each ship was delayed for between 4 to 6 months and allowed to sail after owners posted bonds ranging from $2 million to $5 million.”
“On each ship about half the crew members, which is about 10 crew per ship, were detained. The bail amount posted per crew member to allow them to reside in a hotel rather than in a detention facility was $40,000, which totals to $400,000 for 10 crew.
“On two ships, after multiple court hearings crew were released after being detained for about 20 months each. The other two ships’ crew are still under detention in Lagos whilst court hearings are ongoing. The crew have been in Lagos for 34 months and 13 months respectively.
“Such incidents cost ship owners huge amounts of money in lost revenue by way of vessel delays, legal costs, crew salaries, family upkeep and the like. Additionally, when crew members are subjected to such treatment, most responsible owners expend a lot of time and effort in trying to secure their release.”
Cases such as these, he explained, place the shipowner at a disadvantage, adversely impacting his ability to engage in such trades and maintaining business on productive routes.
Prabhakar asked regulatory agencies to be proactive always. Shipowners should be informed when it is proved that the crew aboard a ship are involved in the drug trafficking. He maintained that the shipowners would be ready and willing to hand over the suspects to the authorities, rather than detain the ship indefinitely with other innocent crew members.
“But unfortunately in some countries like here (Nigeria), the NDLEA have been detaining ships for long periods of time, crews for long periods of time and then they have sort of been put through a lot of mental and physical stress. And then many of them don’t want to come back to sea again as a career” he regretted.
In his remarks, Chairman of the occasion, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, condemned the current level of security threat in the maritime sector, particularly as concerns illicit drugs and human trafficking.
He spoke through Heaky Dimowo, the Director, Marine Environment Management, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA.
“These activities are not merely criminal act, they erode our social fabric, destabilize communities and challenge our law enforcement at sea,” the Minister said.
“Moreover, they pose significant risk to the Maritime and Security of seafarers and vessels. Today we must confront the fact that our waters are increasingly viewed as transit route to illicit activities.”
The minister maintained that it was essential that Nigeria developed comprehensive strategies to address these evolving threats by leveraging on technical innovations, enhancing intelligence capabilities and fostering collaboration among critical stakeholders.
“Together, we can develop multifaceted responses that effectively combat these challenges” he concluded.
“On each ship about half the crew members, which is about 10 crew per ship were detained. The bail amount posted per crew member to allow them to reside in a hotel rather than in a detention facility was $40,000, which totals to $400,000 for 10 crew.
“On two ships, after multiple court hearings crew were released after being detained for about 20 months each. The other two ships’ crew are still under detention in Lagos whilst court hearings are ongoing. The crew have been in Lagos for 34 months and 13 months respectively.
“Such incidents cost ship owners huge amounts of money in lost revenue by way of vessel delays, legal costs, crew salaries, family upkeep and the like. Additionally, when crew members are subjected to such treatment, most responsible owners expend a lot of time and effort in trying to secure their release.”
He said cases such as these, adversely impact the ability of shipowners to engage in such trades and several owners and operators are forced to choose alternative trade routes.
Prabhakar appealed to relevant agencies of government, especially the NDLEA to always inform the shipowners once they are sure that the crew are involved in the drug trafficking incident. He maintained that the shipowners would be ready and willing to hand over the suspects to the authories, rather than have the ship detained with other innocent crew members detained, insisting that in 99.99% of the cases there is zero crew members involved.
“But unfortunately in some countries like here, the NDLEA have been detaining ships for long periods of time, crews for long periods of time and then they have sort of been put through a lot of mental and physical stress. And then many of them don’t want to come back to sea again as a career” he disclosed.
Speaking, the Summit Chairman, Emmanuel Maiguwa said the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC) sees West Africa as a transit region for narcotics mostly emanating from South America, a development that gave filip to the summit.
“With recent incidents involving merchant ships (excluding cases of drugs concealed in cargo containers) from South America to Nigeria rising to about four within the last two years, this maritime corridor proves to be providing mobility for this illicit activity.
He informed that on the issue of human trafficking, records from Africa Risk Compliance (ARC) show a significant number of incidents where stowaways have been discovered on ships calling Nigerian ports.
While Nigeria may not present specific records linking stowaways to drug smuggling operations, he continued, it is of great concern that drug traffickers could potentially collaborate with stowaway networks. This partnership could lead to a coordinated effort to use stowaways as couriers, moving drugs from West Africa to Europe.
“Both MASPAN and AMANO express strong support for the fight against all forms of trafficking and smuggling, including drugs and humans; we are mainly focused on addressing responses to these crimes as they occur within the maritime corridor.
“We aim to ensure that perpetrators of these crimes are apprehended and fully punished by the law without subjecting the innocent to unnecessary difficulties that are counterproductive to the growth of shipping” he added.
Maritime Agencies
NSW: Stakeholders Fear Success With Weak Commitment by Drivers and Lack of Reforms by Government.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
As lack of a strong political will, inter-agency coordination and full digital preparedness stare the National Single Window (NSW) in the face, implementing the ambitious trade reform policy is bound to fail as is the case with similar programmes hurriedly put in place with inadequate preparations .
Stakeholders at a one-day seminar organized in Lagos by Media Anti-Corruption Initiatives (MACI) and Hynek Media, expressed deep concerns in this regard, thus, supporting the avalanche of opposition to what many industry players say is a good policy that ought to have been properly planned before unveiling last month.
The absence of Mr Tola Fakolade, the NSW Director and his team, attendees regretted, robbed the key NSW driver opportunity to participate in robust discussions on this trade regime, apparently lending credence to fears of failure already hanging in the air. While the Nigeria Customs Service, freight forwarders, maritime journalists, Truck Transit Park officials, and other industry players attended to discuss the theme “National Single Window: Strategies to Avert Failure,” the NSW key driver, Mr Fakolade, was visibly absent. Not even a team member was available to stand in for him!
However, participants acknowledged the transformative potentials of the NSW. In his goodwill message, Otumba Frank Ogunojemite, National President, APFFLON, represented by Alhaji Akeem Ayobiojo, Tincan Port chapter Chairman of the group, said NSW is a future legacy for Nigeria. His concern, however, is “how do we guarantee the success going by how businesses run in Nigeria, with vices and efforts to sabotage good and laudable programmes of government?
Speaking for other freight forwarders and customs agents, Ayobiojo quickly recalled current difficulties in uploading NAFDAC, SONCAP certificates and other documents to the NSW portal. There are delays, demurrages and other challenges, he said, acknowledging these as an index of ill-preparation and wobbling attempts to introduce a new system. He deeply regretted the absence of the NSW team at the event to throw more light and make clarifications on the waivers promised, among others.
Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) made an impressive attendance at the event. Speaking on behalf of the National Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Customs J.D. Tomo, Public Relations Officer, Lagos Area Industrial Command, said the NSW is at the elementary stage of implementation. Certain modalities in this regard, she explained, are still being worked out. All agencies are to be on one page to facilitate trade, reduce time wastage while carrying everybody along. NSW, she assured, is neither depriving the Customs of her traditional role in trade facilitation nor duplicating the B’Odogwu customs regime. Rather, NCS embraces NSW to make her job easier.
The Registrar, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) represented by Okechukwu Nwankwo, Head of Lagos Area office said the NSW is a new system Nigerians should give time to play out and mature. Much as the CRFFN is fully integrated on the NSW, as professionals, freight forwarders, he advised, must have professional licences before integrating into the NSW.
In its intervention, the TTP team led by Joseph Alo expressed concerns that whenever technology is introduced to improve existing systems, beneficiaries from the old order must designed methods to torpedo it to their selfish advantage. He said there have been constant engagement and interactions on ways to overcome initial glitches. “We’re looking at doing things differently to improve the system in the port industry,” he explained.
Delivering the lead paper on “National Single Window: Strategies to Avert Failure”, Dr Segun Musa, Managing Director/CEO, Global Transport Policy Ltd, said that an effective Single Window system must incorporate fast-track arbitration and appeal processes. Citing the International Chamber of Commerce, he noted that clear dispute resolution mechanisms can reduce trade disruptions by up to 40 per cent.
On enforcement, Musa referenced OECD studies indicating that effective compliance measures—supported by real-time risk engines, audits, and penalties for false declarations—can raise compliance levels by as much as 50 per cent.
Speaking through Mr. Mark Oluchi, Dr harped on the need for data-driven insights. He explained that data generated from shipments, tariffs, and processing timelines can help detect revenue leakages, guide infrastructure investments, and identify suspicious cargo patterns linked to smuggling.
He stressed the need for a true “one-stop shop” model where all trade documents are submitted once through a unified platform, eliminating duplication and delays, while also calling for strong private sector collaboration to ensure efficiency.
“Launching Nigeria’s National Single Window is not merely a technical upgrade; it is a strategic overhaul of our trade ecosystem. If we get these fundamentals right, the rewards will be transformative—more jobs, increased investment, and greater economic prosperity. The time to act is now.”
All in all, the attendees insisted on efficiency because an efficient system stands to reduce trade transaction costs by up to 25 per cent, increase government revenue by 20 per cent, boost exports by 15 per cent, and attract about 10 per cent more foreign direct investment (FDI).
They expressed strong fears, however, that Nigeria’s history of failed reforms often caused by weak coordination, institutional rivalry, and poor infrastructure stand to undermine the success of the NSW if adequate safeguards are not put on ground. Nigeria must learn from failed efforts.
Maritime Agencies
Dantsoho, NPA MD, Attributes Maritime Sector Transformation to Reforms and Minister’s Leadership Style.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has fingered Federal Government’s reforms and the leadership style of the Marine and Blue Economy Minister, Adegboyega as reasons for the huge transformation going on in the maritime industry.
This is even as investors are being assured of Nigeria’s capacity to dominate Africa’s blue economy with ongoing federal government reforms and increased private sector participation which are critical drivers of transformation in the maritime sector.
Dantsoho gave the assurance while speaking at the Blue Economy Investment Summit in Abuja, where he stressed that Nigeria’s port system would play a pivotal role in unlocking strategic investments and accelerating economic growth.
He noted that the country must urgently refocus its economic priorities towards fully harnessing its vast marine resources in line with global sustainability goals.
“The time has come for a paradigm shift in the structure of Nigeria’s economy towards the full utilisation of our marine resources. Our port system, if properly harnessed, can serve as a major driver of economic growth,” Dantsoho said.
The NPA boss explained that Nigeria’s strategic location, large population and economic strength position it to become a maritime hub for West Africa, comparable to global leaders such as Singapore and Morocco.
“By virtue of our strategic location, market size and economic strength, Nigeria is well-positioned to function as the maritime hub for West Africa,” he added.
Despite these advantages, Dantsoho expressed concern that Nigeria currently handles only about 25 per cent of cargo traffic in the region, even though it accounts for over 60 per cent of West Africa’s GDP.
“It is worrisome that Nigeria, despite controlling over 60 per cent of West Africa’s GDP, handles only about 25 per cent of the region’s cargo traffic. This clearly shows that we have not fully optimised our potential,” he said.
He, however, assured investors that the tide is turning, as the federal government, through the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, is implementing far-reaching reforms to reposition the sector.
According to him, key initiatives include port modernisation, deployment of a Trade Single Window, implementation of a Port Community System, development of deep seaports and full digitalisation of port operations.
“We are implementing key strategic initiatives such as port modernisation, trade single window, port community system, deep seaport development and full digitalisation to reposition our ports for global competitiveness,” he stated.
Dantsoho emphasised that private sector funding remains central to achieving these goals, noting that the NPA is actively encouraging project financing to bridge infrastructure gaps and improve efficiency.
“We are open to private sector participation through project financing. This approach is already improving efficiency and providing access to funding for critical infrastructure,” he said.
He added that the reforms are designed to enhance port efficiency, improve connectivity, reduce freight costs and boost non-oil exports, ultimately driving revenue growth.
“The ultimate goal is to improve liner connectivity, attract bigger vessels, reduce freight costs, and expand our export base, which will significantly boost revenue generation,” he noted.
Dantsoho stressed that competitiveness in the global maritime industry requires efficient operations, competitive pricing and strong hinterland connectivity, adding that Nigerian ports must remain adaptive to evolving global shipping trends.
“With sustained commitment to these initiatives, Nigeria’s port system will enter a new phase and emerge as a leading maritime logistics hub in Africa,” he assured.
Also speaking, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, said Nigeria’s natural endowments, including its 823-kilometre coastline and extensive inland waterways, place it in a strong position to lead the sector.
“With over 823 kilometres of coastline, extensive inland waterways and a prime location along the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria is uniquely positioned to harness the immense potential of the marine and blue economy,” Oyetola said.
He added that reforms by the federal government have improved coordination, strengthened maritime security and boosted investor confidence, noting that the sector accounts for over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s international trade by volume.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
Arising from weeks of intensive planning and stakeholder engagements, the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) hereby confirms readiness and an overwhelming industry stakeholders support for its planned special reception to honour her past presidents.
The reception is a landmark event aimed at celebrating leadership, service and the enduring contributions of media professionals to Nigeria’s maritime industry.
The event which promises to be a gathering of industry heavyweights, ministry officials, policymakers, regulators, terminal operators, shipping companies, freight forwarders and other critical stakeholders, is designed not only to honour past leaders of MARAN but to restate the role of maritime journalism in shaping policy, promoting accountability, and driving sectoral growth.
Speaking on the event, MARAN Caretaker Committee Chairman, Tunde Ayodele noted that the reception serves as a platform to reflect on the legacies of past presidents whose leadership helped position the association as a respected voice in the maritime space.
He added that the event will also provide an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between the media and industry operators at a time when the sector is undergoing significant reforms and modernization.
As stated by Funsho Olojo, Chairman, Reception Planning Committee, notable dignitaries from government institutions, including the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, as well as heads of key maritime agencies, have indicated strong interest in attending the event.
Several corporate organizations and industry groups have also signified their willingness to support the initiative, underscoring its importance to the wider maritime community.
Mr Olojo, while giving an overview of the event, declared that it would serve as a veritable platform to celebrate excellence, hard work and quality leadership offered by past MARAN leaders.
”MARAN, as the projenitor of beat associations in the maritime industry, has produced finest individuals who have had the privilege of leading this great association.
”They have sacrificed their time, energy and intellect to make MARAN the greatest beat association in the maritime industry.
” More encouraging is the fact that all of these past leaders are currently doing well in their different endeavors.
” Some are excelling as Ministers of God in His vineyard, some are holding their own in the legal profession, some have become media moguls and employers of labour while some are practicing their crafts as political appointees.
” It is at this reception that MARAN hopes to unveil their excellence and celebrate their rising profiles”, Olojo declared.
The reception, which will be held on April 24, 2026 at Rockview Hotel, Apapa, Lagos, is expected to feature award presentations, goodwill messages, and networking sessions that will foster deeper engagement among stakeholders while celebrating excellence in maritime journalism.
As the momentum continues to build, the association therefore calls on industry stakeholders, corporate organizations, and well-meaning individuals to be part of this historic event through sponsorships, partnerships, and active participation.
MARAN is the foremost maritime journalists beat association, and a professional body that is committed to promoting ethical journalism, capacity building, and informed reporting within Nigeria’s maritime and blue economy sector.
NSW: Stakeholders Fear Success With Weak Commitment by Drivers and Lack of Reforms by Government.
Dantsoho, NPA MD, Attributes Maritime Sector Transformation to Reforms and Minister’s Leadership Style.
MARAN Confirms Readiness To Celebrate Past Presidents.
NATIONAL SINGLE WINDOW: MACI, Hynek Host Parley To Address Risks and Concerns.
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Nigeria Canvasses Regional Co-operation, Investment Drive at Liberia Fisheries Summit.
PORTS MODERNIZATION, NATIONAL SINGLE WINDOW TO TACKLE PORTS CHALLENGES, Says NPA MD.
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Maritime Agencies3 weeks agoNPA Deepens Digitalization,Targets Port Community System As ETO undergoes Review.
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Maritime Agencies2 weeks agoICTN: FG Gives Shippers’ Council Nod for a Roll-Out, Agencies Sign Performance Bonds.
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Maritime Agencies3 weeks agoPORTS MODERNIZATION, NATIONAL SINGLE WINDOW TO TACKLE PORTS CHALLENGES, Says NPA MD.
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Maritime Agencies3 weeks agoNigeria Canvasses Regional Co-operation, Investment Drive at Liberia Fisheries Summit.
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Maritime Agencies2 weeks agoNATIONAL SINGLE WINDOW: Anti-Corruption Group Hosts Seminar To Tackle Envisaged Risks.
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Maritime Agencies1 week agoSINGLE WINDOW HICCUPS: Shippers’ Council, Revenue Service Canvass Waivers for Importers .
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Maritime Agencies3 days agoNSW: Stakeholders Fear Success With Weak Commitment by Drivers and Lack of Reforms by Government.
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Maritime Agencies6 days ago
NATIONAL SINGLE WINDOW: MACI, Hynek Host Parley To Address Risks and Concerns.