One of the NLNG vessels.

Nigeria’s Local Content and Cabotage policies have received a major boost as the NLNG Ship Management Limited NSML, a subsidiary of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas NLNG Limited has said it has achieved nearly 85 per cent (84.6%) indigenous crew capacity for all NLNG vessels.

The company, which manages the Bonny Terminal of the NLNG has also achieved the Ecoport Port Environmental Review System PERS certification for the terminal, being the first to be so certified in the entire Sub-Saharan Africa.

Fleet Manager of the NSML, Hambali Yusuf, who spoke at the annual conference organised by the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria SCAN in Lagos recently, said that the company is targeting 100 per cent indigenous crew capacity for all the company’s fleet, adding that everything was being done to achieve that not too long from now.

He disclosed that the company has over time trained more than 150 Nigerian cadets on board its vessels while over 200 cadets are currently being trained on the company’s vessels, as it has made it a policy to train as many Nigerian cadets as possible.

“Every year we receive scores of applications from Nigerian cadets seeking to be trained on board our vessels. It is not everyone that applies that we engage and so we usually do a lot of screening to get what we want.

“In training these cadets, we are conscious of the fact that the cadet you train today could be your officer tomorrow. We are also training many other Nigerians in many ship building and ship repair yards across the world, so for us, there is no end to building indigenous capacity”, the fleet manager also said.

While fielding questions from newsmen, he disclosed that the company does the dry docking of all her vessels outside the shores of the country, given that the size of dry dock facilities in Nigeria are too small and cannot handle the size of ships the company operates.

He said: “Most of our vessels are 283meters in length and 45meters in width and there is no place in Nigeria now that can accommodate that size of ship. We would have loved to dry dock in Nigeria because it would have been easier for us than to move hundreds of nautical miles away. You know it will also cost more money to do that outside the country.”

Also speaking on this recent certification at the conference, Managing Director/CEO of NSML, Abdulkadir Ahmed said it was made possible due to the proactive nature of the NSML Terminal management team.

The Ecoport Port Environmental Review System certification is the only port sector specific environmental management standard, mainly achieved by leading ports/terminals globally.

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 and internationally. 

Ahmed said that the MCoE remains the  foremost accredited maritime training centre in the country, saying that it is equipped with state-of-the-art stimulators for the provision of accredited maritime trainings in line with global standards. 

“The centre is also responsible for providing specialised maritime services (shipyard supervision, newbuild specification, refit planning drydocking etc.). The MCoE is also 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. 

“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 nation at large”, the MD said.