Bashir Jamoh, Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has pledged the agency’s commitment to ensuring the seamless operation of the Dangote port and refinery by following the regulatory mechanism outlined in the Cabotage statute.
Jamoh, speaking during a courtesy visit to NIMASA by a delegation from Dangote Port Operations led by Managing Director Dangote Port Operations, Akin Omole, stated that the agency will work with Dangote Ports to ensure the group does not violate any Federal Government regulations regarding wet cargo affreightment.
Both parties agreed to form a working committee to address the refinery’s operational difficulties within 14 days.
“I proposed forming a joint committee with people from NIMASA and Dangote to get down and look at matters critically. Our top objective is to guarantee that regulation implementation does not disrupt the operations of Dangote Port and, by implication, Dangote Refinery.
“Though the Dangote refinery will lower NIMASA earnings since ships importing petroleum products would decrease dramatically, reducing the agency’s three percent freight fee. “However, Nigerian economic growth and long term benefit to the Nigerian masses is far better than immediate revenue for NIMASA,” stated the official.
NIMASA
On his part, Omole stated that his team will ensure that the refinery does not violate the Cabotage Act. He stated, “We discussed how to conduct business in such a way that there is no block or delay.
“In shipping, a day’s delay is a major cost; we have over $50,000 in demurrage on a ship every day, so we want to make sure that these types of delays do not occur. All bottlenecks and roadblocks that may cause the delay will be handled jointly and collectively by our team and NIMASA,” he stated.
Source: guardian.ng
