Maritime Employees Threaten To Close Seaports Starting On Tuesday

The International Oil Companies (IOCs) and stevedoring contractors are allegedly breaking the law, and as a result, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has threatened to close the nation’s seaports on Tuesday, January 9.

Tuesday is the day when all oil and gas platforms and jetties will close, according to the union’s President-General, Adewale Adeyanju, who made this announcement.

A statement from the Union, under the signature of its Publicity Secretary, John Ikemefuna, said that after numerous letters, press releases, ultimatums, marine notices from NIMASA, and ministerial instructions, the matter had not been resolved.

They were all ignored one after the other. The most current one, dated June 13, 2023, on properly signed communiqués covering a period of more than three years, with reference number MWUN/MD/NPA/SC/U/1.23.

However, the Union is using this platform to demand that IOCs completely abide by the stevedoring regulations in accordance with the communiqués that all pertinent industry parties have signed.

The whole burden of giving operating licences to stevedoring businesses so they can serve approved IOCs in Nigeria falls on the NPA, which is the industry regulator and master stevedore.

In addition, the NPA’s oversight and regulatory powers must be used to guarantee that laws and regulations are followed by IOCs that use stevedoring businesses’ services. Thus, employees of IOCs who are also members of MWUN,” Adeyanju stated in the announcement.

That the NPA permitted the IOCs to operate outside of the law made him scowl.

He said, “The MWUN will close all seaports nationwide on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, in violation of the existing stevedoring laws, following the expiration of the three world three workdays already granted to NPA beginning on January 4, 2024.”