Headlines

World Maritime Day 2021: Tributes pour in for seafarers who kept supply lines running amid Covid-19

Agency report

World Maritime Day 2021 is being observed across the globe on September 30 in a tribute to the professionalism and sacrifice of the two million seafarers who served the world’s merchant Navy fleet even amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic situation.

During these dire times, shipping played a major role in transporting vital medical supplies, food, and other basic goods that are significant for Covid-19 response and recovery.

However, according to the United Nations, the seafarers themselves sacrificed aplenty – being stranded at sea for days as their contracts kept on being extended by many months.

The 2021 theme for the ‘World Maritime Day’ respects the sacrifice made by the Navy men: ‘Seafarers at the core of shipping’s future.’

World Maritime Day 2021: Theme

The theme for the 2021 World Maritime Day is ‘seafarers at the core of shipping’s future.’

According to the United Nations, this year’s theme “reflects a clear need to raise awareness of seafarersʹ crucial role in world trade and increase their visibility.”

The world has seen how the seafarers have dedicated their valuable time during the Covid-19 period to ensure that the global supply chains keep functioning to deliver vital goods throughout the pandemic.

“This could not happen without the professionalism and dedication of the world’s seafarers,” the UN has observed.

World Maritime Day 2021 highlighted the work of seafarers at the heart of the maritime industry, while also promote activities that delve into specific topics relevant to the role of the seafarer in safety, maritime security, environmental protection, and seafarersʹ well-being; and the future of seafaring against a backdrop of increased digitalization and automation.

World Maritime Day 2021: Significance

According to the United Nations, the international shipping industry consists more than 80 per cent of the aggregate global trade among people and communities across the world.

“Shipping is the most efficient and cost-effective method of international transportation for most goods; it provides a dependable, low-cost means of transporting goods globally, facilitating commerce and helping to create prosperity among nations and peoples,” it said.

A safe and secure, as well as the efficient, shipping industry is the backbone of successful maritime trade for any country and the globe as a whole.

It is also capable of containing pollution to a minimum and is an essential component of any programme for or future sustainable green economic growth in a sustainable manner.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is looking to put more stress on the promotion of sustainable shipping and maritime development in the coming years.

World Maritime Day 2021: History

The need for an international day for the maritime industry came with the establishment of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), a specialised agency for the purpose.

In 1948, the United Nations passed a resolution at an international conference in Geneva to establish the IMO for maintaining a comprehensive and regulatory framework for shipping.

In 1982, the international maritime organization (IMO) took the name Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO).

The main objective of the IMO is to focus on areas such as safety, environmental issues, legal issues, technical cooperation, maritime safety and maritime efficiency. World Maritime Day was celebrated for the first time on March 17, 1978.

Headlines

MWUN threatens to picket shipping companies, terminal operators over manipulation of pension remittances of seafarers, dockworkers

Gloria Odion

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria(MWUN) has accused terminal operators, shipping companies and ship owners of shortchanging dockworkers and seafarers in their employment in the remittance of their pensions to the appropriate authorities.

In a statement by the union led by Comrade Francis Bunu Abi, the erring service providers were allegedly either holding back the deductions made from the salaries of their staff into the pension funds scheme or under- remitting the deductions.

The union warned of dire consequences for such act which it regarded as unethical and illegal and threatened to shut down any service provider found culpable in this illegal act.

“The leadership of the Union recently got the wind of these employers of labour and terminal operators over their acts of irregular remittance of their employees pensions to its appropriate quarters.

“Thus shortchanging the Seafarers and the Dockworkers, both categories of workers from the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria.

“It was also learnt that some Ship Owners and Terminal Operators have allegedly stopped the remittance of Dockworkers and Seafarers’ PSA in their employ, which is a gross violation of labour laws.

” As a result, the President -General of the Union, Comrade Bunu, stated that the Union will have no other option than to descend heavily and bring to book all the earring managements of these companies working against the ethics and practices of labour rules in their various companies.

“The Delta State- born labour leader made this point known, stressing that it’s unlawful to deny workers their pensions rights either by crook or hook,; and may not hesitate to call out these Concessionaires and Shipping Companies that have defaulted in the payment of the statutory pensions of the Union Members.

“Comrade Bunu also said that these erring companies in the Maritime sector would be shut down if this ugly trend is not reversed to status quo.” the statement concluded.

Headlines

Tantita Security to bankroll 2025 OTC in USA

Gloria Odion

The foremost security provider in Nigeria, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) has been confirmed as the official sponsor of the 2025 Offshore Technology conference scheduled to hold in Houston Texas, United States on 5-8 May , 2025 .

Executive Director, Technical and operations , Tantita security services Limited, Captain Wareddi Enisuoh in an interview with journalists on Friday, said the company attracted the OTC conference lucrative sponsorship deal in recognition of its capacity to deliver on the conference.

Founded in 1969 , Offshore Technology conference is a series of conferences and exhibitions, focused on exchanging technical knowledge relevant to the development of offshore energy resources , primarily Oil and Natural Gas.

The conference also serves as the meeting place for the brightest minds to share ideas , discuss, debate and build consensus around the most pressing challenges and innovations in the offshore energy sector.

This year’s exhibitors , speakers and attendees represent some of the highest calibre professionals from more than 100 countries .

Customs

Customs shuns N12 trillion inflated revenue target imposed by National Assembly

— focuses on realising N6.5 trillion 2025 target

Funso OLOJO

The Nigeria Customs Service may have tactically shrugged off the imposition of the N12 trillion revenue target by the National Assembly.

It could be recalled that government gave the NCS ₦6.5 trillion revenue target for 2025.

This followed the impressive revenue performance of the service in 2024 when it surpassed that year’s target of N5.07 trillion by 20.2 percent.

However , in January, 2025, the National Assembly joint committee on Finance led by its chairmen, Senator Sani Musa and Hon. James Faleke, believed that the projection of N6.5 trillion revenue target given to the customs was conservative and encouraged the NCS to aim higher.

Consequently, the joint committee slammed a whooping sum of N12 trillion as revenue target, doubling the initial N6.5 trillion projected revenue.

This humongous target sparked off an outrage among perplexed stakeholders who felt the target imposed by the law makers was outrageous and unrealistic which they feared may stretch the capacity of the customs to a breaking point and put unnecessary pressure on the men and officers of the agency.

Indication that the Customs authority may not be well disposed to the imposed target of N12 trillion by the National Assembly emerged recently when the Comptroller -General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, was giving account of the activities of the service in the first quarter of 2025.

While giving the analysis of the revenue performance of the service during the period under review, Adeniyi benchmarked the revenue generated by the service during the first quarter of 2025 by N6.5 trillion revenue target given by the Federal Ministry of Finance, thus jettisoning the N12 trillion imposed by the National Assembly.

“ Against our annual target of ₦6,580,000,000,000.00, the first quarter’s proportional benchmark stood at ₦1,645,000,000,000.00.

“I’m proud to announce we’ve exceeded this target by ₦106.5 billion, achieving 106.47% of our quarterly projection.

” This outstanding performance represents a substantial 29.96% increase compared to the same period in 2024, where we collected

₦1,347,705,251,658.31″ Adewale stated, while giving the analysis of the performance of the service in the first three months of the year.

Analysts believed that from the analysis of the revenue performance of the NCS in the first quarter of the year which was predicated on the N6.5 trillion revenue target, it was obvious that the service was not paying much attention to the imposed N12 trillion, but rather focusing on how to meet the more realistic target of N 6 .5 trillion.

” You can see that the CGC did not make mention of the N12 trillion imposed by the National Assembly which presupposes that the unrealistic amount is not in the reckoning of the Customs” a customs broker who plies his trade at Apapa port, said, pleading for anonymity.

” Where on earth do they want the Customs to realize such an humongous amount of money in a depressed economy, in a country where importation has plummeted due to the unfriendly policies of government?

“It is unfortunate that these people (the law makers) have lost touch with the current economic realities in the country.

” All what they are after is to witch hunt government agencies to go and hunt for money for them to share.

” If not, how could they sit down in the comfort of their air conditioned offices and imposed such amount of revenue for customs to realize.

” Of course, the pressure would be on the men and officers of the service who will in turn go after the hapless importers and their agents in the most brutal way to raise the imposed target.

” It is unfortunate that the lawmakers, who are expected to make laws that will encourage export drive of the Federal government, are those asking the customs to focus more on the import goods where such money could be realized” another freight forwarder, who did not want his name in print but based at Tin Can Island port, declared.