The Nigeria Customs Service has renewed its call for a more efficient and cost- effective port system in Nigeria through the reduction of turnaround time for vessels that call at the country’s seaports as well as reduction in cargo dwell time.

Comptroller General of the service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd.), who gave a goodwill message in Lagos, Thursday at the 2021 edition of the World Maritime Day celebration with the theme: Seafarers: At the core of shipping’s future”, said it has become expedient for stakeholders to redouble their efforts towards reducing the current waiting time of vessels at the nation’s seaports as well as cargo dwell time.

Represented by the Deputy Comptroller Administration at the Idiroko Command of the service, DC Dera Nnadi, the CG assured that the service would continue to do everything within its powers to ensure efficient seaport operations by supporting stakeholders to achieve these desires.

He said: “Let me remind us to redouble our effort to reduce the vessels’ turnaround time for Nigeria and to further reduce the waiting time for goods to reach the traders’ warehouses from all our frontiers.  On our part as NCS, we pledge our unalloyed support to all maritime stakeholders to achieve these and our other desired individual and collective objectives”.

While extolling the immeasurable contributions of the seafarers, he noted that the last three years have particularly been a challenging for most maritime workers, especially the seafarers, who have faced a number of safety issues occasioned by increasing insecurity on the water channels, a development that was made worse by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and other environmental problems.

He however argued that despite these challenges, the Nigerian maritime workers including the seafarers with the support of the government especially the Ministry of Transport have braced the times and kept the country’s trade supply chain on track.

From left: Financial Secretary, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA, Hajia Bola Muse, Registrar/CEO, Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, Sam Nwakaohu and Deputy Comptroller of Nigeria Customs Service, DC Dera Nnadi at the just concluded World Maritime Day, held in Lagos, Thursday.

He said: “The CGC and Management of Nigeria Customs Service felicitate with the World maritime family under the umbrella of International Maritime Organisation IMO on the occasion of the World Maritime Day 2021. The Service also congratulates the Hon. Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi and the entire maritime workers, which the NCS is one on this day.

“Today is very significant to the Service as we recognise that trade is synonymous with Customs and trade cannot take place without the maritime industry and indeed the maritime workers, the core of which are the seafarers. 

“Internationally, the shipping sector has continued to transport more than 80 per cent of world’s trade, including vital medical supplies, food and other basic goods needed to handle the global humanitarian crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic and insecurity across the globe. Through the efforts of all of us here, Nigeria had her own share of this progress.

“Without the international shipping of products that is expedited by the seafarers and those others within the maritime industry, the world’s economy would not be able to function. To Nigerian maritime workers, the NCS uses this day to appreciate your immense contributions to her success recorded over the years and especially in the last three years”.

He commended the IMO for setting out one day in a year to reflect and appreciate the crucial role the maritime industry plays in individual lives in terms of shipping goods across the globe, which has a major impact on the global economy.

Recall that ship turnaround time at most Nigeria’s seaports currently stand at about one week while cargo dwell time, which measures the minimum number of days it takes to clear cargo at over 21 days, which many believe do not conform to international standards that would make the ports competitive.