Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi (3rd left), Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transport, Dr. Magdalene Ajana (1st left), Representative of the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Deputy Comptroller Dera Nnadi (2nd right), Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority NIWA, Dr. George Moghalu (1st right) and other stakeholders at the World Maritime Day celebration held in Lagos, Thursday.

The Federal Government of Nigeria today joined other littoral nations to celebrate this year’s World Maritime Day, pledging its commitment to facilitate more specialised training to enable them cope with the dynamics and challenges of modern day shipping, which he observed are more technical and complex.

Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, who made the pledge in Lagos, Thursday, while speaking at the 2021 edition of World Maritime Day celebration with the theme: “Seafarers: At the core of shipping’s future” held in Lagos. The World Maritime Day, instituted by the United Kingdom -based International Maritime Organisation IMO and celebrated annually, seeks to recognise and appreciate the contributions of the maritime industry to the global economy.

The Minister also disclosed that the country is disturbed by the recent Seafarer Workforce Reports, which hinted that there could be shortfall in officers by year 2026, saying that as part of measures to bridge the resource gap in seafaring, there is urgent need to actively promote careers at sea and enhanced maritime education and training to engender the diverse skills needed for greener and more digitally connected maritime industry.

He noted that in view of the emerging realities, the government would give more attention to specialised training for seafarers to boost their ability and capability to perform expert tasks in their various fields of engagement on board vessels.

To this effect, it was gathered that the government is putting measures in place to rejig and strengthen the country’s National Seafarers Development Programme NSDP sponsored by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA through which it projects to contribute significantly to the global seafarers’ market.

He said: “Seafaring has evolved over the years from apprenticeship to specialised and rigorous nautical education, necessitated by digitisation and the development of modern, technologically advanced vessels. The world is in short supply of professionally qualified seafarers today and the rapid rise in digital technology and automation mean that one of the world’s oldest professions is set to change more in the next couple of years than ever before.

“With evolving technology, the seafarer of the future would likely be working with a much smaller crew, complex individual task and having greater interaction and engagement with the global reading community. In view of the emerging realities therefore, more attention should be given to seafarers’ specialised training to be capable of performing expert tasks in their various fields of engagement on board vessels.

“The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that cadets undergo adequate sea time training. The NSDP sponsored by NIMASA will be strengthened to intensify engagement with reputable shipping companies to achieve even higher output. At the moment, there are over 7, 000 seafarers on the Nigerian Seafarers Register and we are committed to achieving more”

To underscore the crucial role played by the seafarers in the global supply chain, he said they have over the years remained an essential part of the sustainability chain, assuring that Nigeria would continue to play her part in maintaining the value chain through partnerships with organisations that sustain and support the seafarers.

On the local front, he expressed joy that the National Inland Waterways Authority NIWA has intensified the training and certification of inland craft captains and crew for safe navigation on the waterway, adding that the authority has acquired over 50 vessels in the last two years while several jetties have been completed in Odekpe in Anambra State and Yenagoa in Bayelsa State

Meanwhile Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, who presented a goodwill message at the event, assured that the agency was leaving no stone unturned in promoting the welfare and wellbeing of the seafarers and other maritime workers.

Citing the harmonious relationships that exist between the agency and the employers of seafarers and workers, he also said that the agency’s security intervention scheme; the Deep Blue Project, which has reduced piracy and other maritime crimes by over 80per cent in the country and the Gulf of Guinea, has also given a measure of hope for the safety of the seafarers.