KOREDE FOGO
The Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) Ship Management Limited, Bonny Terminal, has been the first port in Sub-Saharan Africa to be certified as the Ecoport Port Environmental Review System (PERS) certification.
The Ecoport Port Environmental Review System (PERS) certification is the only port sector specific environmental management standard, mainly achieved by leading ports, terminals globally.
The Managing Director, NSML, Abdulkadir Ahmed, disclosed this at a training programme organised by Shipping Cooresondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN), sponsored by NLNG Ship Management Limited.
He noted that this was made possible because of the proactive nature of the NSML Terminal management team.
According to him, Maritime Training, Project Management (MTPM) and consultancy services, NSML’s flagship Maritime Centre of Excellence (MCoE) were responsible for the provision of advanced maritime training, project management and maritime consultancy services, locally in Nigeria and internationally.
Ahmed said that the MCoE was the foremost accredited maritime training centre in the country, saying that it was endowed with state-of-the-art stimulators for the provision of accredited maritime trainings in line with leading standards and provisions.
He explained: “The centre is also responsible for providing specialised maritime services (shipyard supervision, newbuild specification, refit planning drydocking etc.).”
Also, the managing director explained that as part of the services, MCoE was saddled with the responsibility of administering the Seafarers Continuous Development Programme (SCDP); an NSML scheme aimed at providing training berth spaces for Nigerian cadets onboard the NSML-managed vessels.
He said, “I am pleased to announce that over 107 Nigerian cadets have successfully completed their sea-time training on the program, thereby leading to the deepening of the footprint of Nigerians in the global maritime industry.
“The MCoE is also currently supervising the construction of a newbuild LPG vessel of a Nigerian company in the Hyundai Mipo Shipyard in Korea. This is a further testament of NSML’s capabilities of delivering complex maritime projects to the overall benefits of her clients-specifically- and the nationgenerally-.
NSML’s success stories, anchored on the core values of Professionalism, Teamwork, Efficiency and Caring, all point to the steady and remarkable progress in the last 12-years since it commenced operations.”
Ahmed stressed that NSML was strategically positioned to ensure that it continues to play a leading and enabling role in the global maritime sector, enhancing the business of NLNG as a primary stakeholder and by extension the global energy market.
On paucity of qualified and competent officers globally, Ahmed noted that there was a global shortage of skilled officers in the maritime industry.
He said: “Industry sources point to an increasing demand for qualified seafarers, particularly the officers, and this situation is expected to persist into the future. Diminishing attractiveness of a career at sea, coupled with rising man-berth ratios and a continued fleet growth is likely to result in the highest shortfall of officers in the coming years.”
The Managing Director said that the global maritime industry had continued to be shaped by stringent environmental regulations and requirements, noting that the focus of maritime regulators has shifted firmly to Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping.
According to him, decarbonisation was also a key focus of regulators in the maritime industry and there are rafts of changes being considered in the industry that was reputed to account for over 90per cent of global trade.
In addition, the managing director noted that the increased digitalisation and automation of the shipping industry would require different and more technically advanced knowledge and expertise than what currently obtains, noting that technological developments would radically change the employment patterns -in the maritime industry- in the coming years.
On piracy, he noted that piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) had remained a worrying concern in the global maritime industry as incidents and attacks had soared in the last decade.
Ahmed noted: “According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) continues to be the hotspot for piracy attacks with 43per cent of all regional attacks in 2021.
” Pirates operating in the region are well equipped to attack further away from shorelines and are unafraid to take violent actions against innocent crews. Though these security challenges persist, the recently launched deep Blue Initiative” by NIMASA has significantly reduced the impact and frequency of these piracy incidents.
“These highlighted issues pose significant threats to the operations of the LNG shipping market, the global supply chain, and the energy ecosystem; and NSML,
“As the foremost ship management and largest employer of seafarers in Nigeria, continue to contribute and play a critical role in addressing some Of these highlighted challenges.”