Headlines

Pirates strike again in Gulf of Guinea

—-steal cargo from product tanker

Pirates boarded a tanker working as a bunkering vessel in the Gulf of Guinea region and reportedly stole cargo from the ship before leaving.

Initial reports had indicated a possible hijacking, but the crew was unharmed and reported safe.

Security analysts have raised a warning, noting that the incident occurred further west of most of the historic activity in the region with the culprits suspected of departing from Ghana.

Analysts from Dryad Global are linking the confirmed boarding of the product tanker B. Ocean, a 5,700 dwt vessel operating under the flag of the Marshall Islands, to an earlier warning from MDAT-GOG of irregular activity along the western coast of Ghana.

The monitoring bureau reported that local fishermen in the area had seen a group of unknown people heading out to sea in the early morning hours of January 24 in a fishing boat with a high-power motor.

“The group is suspected to be a criminal group, possibly a pirate action group that is planning to attack vessels at sea,” MDAT said in its advisory.

They were warning vessels in the area near Takoradi in western Ghana to be on alert.

Dryad reports that the owners of the product tanker lost contact with the vessel later that same day.

The vessel was operating from Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire, west of Ghana. The incident was reported when the vessel was silent with no AIS signal for more than 17 hours.

Vessels sometimes purposefully turn off their AIS signal in the region to help elude detection from criminals active in the area.

The boarding of the product tanker and the thief from its cargo was later confirmed.

The vessel has resumed transmitting its AIS signal which shows that it has returned to Abidjan.

“The maritime crime and piracy footprint throughout the area is historically low,” reports Dryad in its analysis of the incident.

Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana historically are low crime areas with most incidents being more of thief versus hijackings or assaults on crew.

Dryad reports that there are thus far no reported incidents of piracy within the offshore domain near Abidjan.

Dryad in its analysis notes that this could represent an expansion of the area in which pirates are working, possibly in response to the increased enforcement efforts in the region near Nigeria which has been the historic focus of most of the activity in the region.

Further, they noted that it would represent the first hijacking of a vessel in nearly a year in the broader region.

Last week, the Ghana Navy announced that its forces had been contracted to provide security and asset protection at two offshore oil fields.

However, the broader Gulf of Guinea region continues to report greatly reduced criminal activity with other recent warnings only of irregular activity in the areas near Nigeria which could have been the precursor to assaults on ships and some thefts from anchored vessels.

Freight Monitor

President Buhari to commission multi-billion naira Dala Inland dry port Monday –Ahmad Rabiu

The Eyewitness reporter

All is set for the commissioning of the Dala International inland dry port on Monday 31st January 2023 by President Muhammad Buhari at Zawachiki in Kumbotso local government area of Kano state.

The Managing Director of the international inland dry port Ahmad Rabiu, stated this while addressing newsmen on the preparation for the inauguration of the port at its headquarters in Kano.

Ahmad Rabiu, who was joined by the chairman of the inland dry port, Alhaji Abubakar Sahabu Bawuro, said its the first international inland dry port where cargoes will go anywhere in the world from Kano state without follow up to any sea ports across Nigeria.

Ahmad Rabiu told newsmen that the federal government under President Muhammad Buhari has given all the support required for the take-up, noting that they have met the requirement on infrastructure and other critical amenities.

The MD said the stacking area has the capacity of containing 20 thousand units of containers before moving anywhere at any time, noting that the area covers six hectares of land and the management is willing to add more.

According to Ahmad Rabiu, all the requirements needed for clearance by businessmen, and customs duty will be done right from Kano without follow-up to any seaport in Nigeria.

On his part, the chairman of Dala Inland Dry Port, Alhaji Abubakar Sahabu Bawuro said the management of the port is prepared technically, and physically with interested partners and is going to boost businesses in Kano, Nigeria and Africa in general and urged members of the press to partner with the management in ensuring efficiency, emphasizing that the place is not a monument but a business venture.

The chairman said Dala Inland Dry Port is now a solution to the problems brought about by the seaports and they will introduce cargo tracking and door-to-door delivery of goods and services.

He said the success of the inland dry port is a joint venture between the state government, the business community, regulatory agencies and the Federal Government of Nigeria and to make business in Kano and its neighborhood more competitive.

Freight Monitor

CRFFN rejects re-appointment bid of ousted Sam Nwakohu

Ousted CRFFN Registrar, Nwakohu

— appoints Uromta as Acting Registrar

—-shops for substantive Registrar.

The Eyewitness reporter

The Council for the Registration of Freight forwarding Practice in Nigeria (CRFFN) has thrown out the re-election bid of the outgoing Registrar of the Council, Sam Nwakohu.

In an emergency meeting of the council Thursday at its Abuja liaison office, the Council appointed Mrs. Chinyere Uromta, the Director of Regulations and Enforcement, as an acting Registrar pending the time a substantive registrar will be appointed.

The decision of the council to reject the reelection bid of the ousted Registrar was based on the recommendations of its ad hoc committee to look into the request of Nwakohu for a second term tenure.

The outgoing registrar, last year, at the December meeting of the council, submitted a letter, requesting to be considered for a second term shot at the lucrative position.

Consequently, the Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Abubakar Tsanni set up an ad-hoc committee, headed by Efeanyi Isikaku, to look into the request of Nwakohu and submit its report in two weeks.

“Following the completion of its assignment and submission of its report, the council, therefore, convened today (Thursday)in Abuja to deliberate on the next line of action to be taken in respect of the committee’s recommendations.

” The AdHoc committee made important recommendations with reference to the provisions of Public Service Rules as well as the council’s Act.

“The committee however, recommended that in order to avoid a vacuum after the expiration of the Registrar’s tenure, the council shall start making arrangements for a handover of the Registrar’s office to the most senior management staff of the council.

“Similarly, the committee also recommended that the Appointment Promotion and Discipline committee of the council be directed to start making preparations for reappointment or appointment of substantive Registrar” Muftahu Ya’u, the chairman Committee on Media and Publicity of the governing council, declared in a statement he sent to our reporter.

“Finally, the council’s chairman soon after the adoption, approval, and ratification of the committee’s recommendations by members of the council directed the followings:
that arrangement for the Registrar’s handover to Mrs. Chinyere Uromta Director, Regulations and Enforcement on 31st of January 2023.

“That committee on Appointment Promotion and Discipline go ahead to start preparations for reappointment/appointment of a new Registrar” the head of media and publicity of the council concluded.

It could be recalled that soon after Nwakohu made his ambition known to succeed himself as the Registrar of the council, he went on a lobbying spree, trying to woo the council members to buy into his ambition.

But sources close to the council whispered to our reporter that the second term bid of Nwakohu was dead on arrival due to lots of baggage he carries.

“There was no way he could have succeeded in his obnoxious bid to succeed himself.

Firstly, it was a general consensus among the freight forwarding confraternity that Nwakohu failed woefully as the registrar.

“He is incompetent, arrogant and someone not ready to learn,” a highly placed source said.

“Also, several allegations of financial sleaze against him have not been cleared.

“Similarly, the council members were not happy at the way Nwakohu handled the purchase of the CRFFN Abuja liaison office which cost they felt was inflated.

“All these and other uncharitable behavior of the outgoing registrar are enough reasons not to reappoint him as the Council registrar” the source claimed.

Headlines

Transportation ministry inaugurates project committee for Ondo, Benin seaports

The Eyewitness reporter

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magdalene Ajani, has inaugurated

a Project Steering Committee for the proposed Ondo Deep & Benin Seaports.

Dr. Magdalene Ajani, while inaugurating the Committee on behalf of the Nigerian government at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja Wednesday, stated that the Committee is saddled with providing guidance and direction on the projects.

She also charged the members of the committee to also facilitate necessary permits, clearance & approvals for the projects.

The permanent secretary said it is also the responsibility of the committee to prepare the transaction for the Hon. Minister of Transportation, Alhaji Muazu Sambo, to obtain the approval of tte Federal Executive Council.

She charged them to hit the ground running immediately.