Connect with us

Headlines

Russia-Ukraine conflict may lead to seafarers shortage, hike in wages—Experts

 

Shipping experts have expressed concerns over the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine which they said may lead to a crisis in the supply chain of seafarers.
Their worries were predicated on the large numbers of both the Russian and Ukrainian seafarers which make up a large chunk of seafarers worldwide and which the conflict may affect.

According to analysts, nearly 1.9 million seafarers are currently operating over 74,000 vessels in the global merchant fleet.

They said with the Russia Ukraine conflict showing no signs of easing and all focus on humanitarian logistics and aid, one key component of the supply chain – as usual – is being ignored and they are the seafarers.

Nearly 1.9 million seafarers are currently operating over 74,000 vessels in the global merchant fleet, according to the Seafarer Workforce Report published in 2021 by BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).

“Of this total workforce, 198,123 (10.5 percent) of seafarers are Russian of which 71,652 are officers and 126,471 are ratings.

 Ukraine accounts for 76,442 (4 percent) of seafarers of which 47,058 are officers and 29,383 are ratings.

 Combined they represent 14.5 percent of the global workforce.

“Shipping is currently responsible for the movement of nearly 90 percent of global trade.

“Seafarers have been at the forefront of the response to the Covid Pandemic, ensuring essential supplies of food, fuel and medicine continue to reach their destinations,” ICS said in a statement.

Guy Platten, Secretary-General, ICS, added: “To maintain this unfettered trade, seafarers must be able to join and disembark ships (crew change) freely across the world.

 “With flights canceled in the region, this will become increasingly difficult.
“The ability to pay seafarers also needs to be maintained via international banking systems.
“The safety of our seafarers is our absolute priority. We call on all parties to ensure that seafarers do not become collateral damage in any actions that governments or others may take.

“Seafarers have been at the forefront of keeping trade flowing through the pandemic and we hope that all parties will continue to facilitate free passage of goods and these key workers at this time.”

Research by ICS shows that an average ship has a mix of at least three nationalities on board, and sometimes as many as 30.

“Three languages were the minimum spoken on the average ship.”

ICS has also called on governments around the world to ensure access to medical care for seafarers after it emerged that crews continue to be refused urgent treatment at ports during the pandemic.

Given this background, the International Maritime Organization held an Extraordinary Council Session on Mach 10 and 11, and the agenda was on addressing the impacts on shipping and seafarers of the situation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

“We anticipate we will receive specific submissions from Member-States as well as from NGOs in consultative status but mostly it will allow for States to make statements as to their views,” an official told The STAT Media Group.

The IMO Council consists of 40 Member States, elected by the IMO Assembly.

The International Group of P&I Clubs (marine insurance providers) personnel sub-committee has issued a contract addendum to assist owners and crew, especially Ukrainian crew, who would like to alter their contracts.

The last container ship in Ukraine – Joseph Schulte, capable of carrying 9,400 20-foot containers – arrived on the eve of Russia’s invasion and has not moved in 12 days, its crew and cargo safe but caught in a war zone, Bloomberg reported.

Seafarers and the ship are “safe and well,” according to a statement from a crisis PR agency that responded to an email request sent to Germany-based Bernhard Schulte that is listed as the ship’s owner, the report added.

Russian/Ukrainian seafarers more on tankers

“Russian and Ukrainian officers are employed in high numbers on tanker vessels, both oil and gas, which already have the tightest supply of qualified and experienced officers.

” Hence it is on these trades that the main effects will be felt,” Drewry said in an update.

“A reasonable proportion of Russian and Ukrainian seafarers will already have foreign homes, and will therefore be less restricted in their travel to or from vessels during crew changes.

“But Drewry estimates these to represent less than 20 percent of the available pool and visa implications could arise if the free movement of Russian citizens is limited by the international community.

“Hence, a large number will therefore be directly affected now.”

Ukrainian seafarers currently at sea will find repatriation very difficult with a best case that they travel to a nearby country by air and then onward home via whatever means is available, Drewry added.

“This obviously carries considerable danger but with family possibly still in situation and a desire to defend their country some may return.
For Ukrainian seafarers off duty at home when the conflict started, the situation will be even more difficult.

 For a range of reasons, it is thought that they will find it very difficult or impossible to travel to join a vessel for their next scheduled tour.”

Given the fast-changing situation, employers may think twice about employing Russian seafarers if they cannot reliably get them to vessels as planned.

 “Banking restrictions imposed on Russia may also make payment of seafarers problematic, adding to reasons companies may look to other nationalities to crew their vessels.
Indian seafarers are likely to be the prime option, although there are also other alternative nationalities.
 Indian wage rates are similar to Russian and Ukrainian and supply numbers are high.

However, as mentioned earlier, given pre-existing tight officer availability, there will only be limited skilled labour available to fill any gaps.”

Drewry is expecting the conflict’s impacts on seafarer availability to lead to wage inflation, particularly for officers where supply conditions were already tight.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Headlines

Stakeholders kick against renewal of ETO contract with TTP as NPA reviews agreement 

Funso OLOJO, Editor 
There is a groundswell of opposition among maritime stakeholders against any plan for  renewal of Electronic Call- Up System, otherwise called ETO,
contract with the Truck Transit Park(TTP).
TTP company was the pioneer contractor engaged by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in February 2021  to drive the e- call up system at its commencement at the Nigerian ports.
However, the five- year contract expired last February while the NPA is set to review the contract again.
While the TTP have started lobbying the NPA management to get a renewal of the lucrative contract, stakeholders have called on the agency to shun the request of the contractor and instead give it out to a more competent company which is not suseptible to corruption.
The stakeholders argued that, though the electronic truck movement system was a laudable initiative but was married by fraud , corruption and gross  inefficiency as the TTP officials used the system to extort truckers.
The Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA) has expressed strong opposition to the contract renewal, citing allegations of fraud, extortion, and inefficiency in the TTP.
COMTUA noted that the system has caused financial burden and, at times, worsened, rather than improved, the waiting times for trucks.
COMTUA  therefore urged  the NPA to consider other more efficient solutions for managing port access.
Stakeholders readily pointed to the plate number and ticket frauds which rocked the system
During the crisis period, plate number and cloning fraud emerged as major methods used to sabotage the Electronic Call-up System (“Eto”) at Nigerian ports, enabling unapproved trucks to gain access to port terminals.

Syndicates and fraudulent truckers have been caught using fake, duplicated, or borrowed license plates to match Eto tickets, a practice that undermined the automated system intended to manage traffic congestion

Truckers often duplicate the plate number of a vehicle with a valid Eto ticket and attached it to an unauthorized truck.

Fraudsters engage in “proxy booking,” where they generated tickets for fake or non-existent trucks and then use those tickets for other vehicles by swapping plate numbers at the gate.

Due to the scarcity of spots,, valid Eto tickets were frequently resold at inflated prices (up to ₦450,000 against a ₦21,000 official rate), with the forged plate numbers used to bypass security checks.

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)  intercepted hundreds of fake plate numbers and counterfeit Minimum Safety Standard (MSS) stickers in single raids, particularly around the MPS pre-gate in Apapa.

It was these and other fraudulent acts perpetrated under the management of ETO by the TPP that made stakeholders to advised the NPA not to renew the contract with the company.

“Renewal of the TPP contract will be a monumental error by the NPA because the company used the system to extort and overburdened the truckers.

A more competent company should be engaged to drive the process”  one of the truckers union executives told our reporter.

However, the NPA has reaffirmed its dedication to a “congestion-free” port environment and is actively assessing the performance of the Eto system.

The agency emphasized that the electronic call-up is now a cornerstone of their digital agenda, aimed at increasing transparency and minimizing human interaction.

The review process is ongoing, with significant pressure from stakeholders to either continue with the current system (with improvements) or seek a new, more efficient solution to maintain sanity on the Apapa and Tin Can Island port access road

But the Authority  has assured port users and industry stakeholders that there will be no disruption to operations as it reviews the expired agreement governing the Electronic Truck Call-Up System (ETO)

The contract between the NPA and Truck Transit Park Ltd (TTP), which manages the ETO platform, reached its term at the end of February and is currently under review.

Nevertheless ,the Authority has moved swiftly to calm concerns, emphasizing that port efficiency and seamless cargo movement remain top priorities.

In a statement, the NPA’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Ikechukwu Onyemekara, said there are clear provisions within the expired agreement to guarantee operational stability.

“There are options under the expired agreement to be adopted to ensure that necessary arrangements are in place for business continuity by the parties that would ensure that operations are not disrupted in any way,” Onyemekara said.

He described the review as a routine administrative process consistent with global best practices, noting that the Authority is committed to safeguarding the gains recorded since the introduction of the digital call-up system.

The ETO platform was introduced in 2021 at the height of the Apapa gridlock crisis to regulate truck movement into the Lagos ports corridor.
By requiring pre-booked access slots before trucks approach the ports, the system restored order to the once chaotic logistics chain and significantly reduced traffic congestion along port access roads.
Industry observers noted that under the NPA’s supervision, the digital regime has contributed to improved cargo evacuation, enhanced vessel turnaround time, and greater predictability in port operations.
They however warned that renewing the contract with TTP will reverse the gains of the system and stagnate the process of electronic movement of trucks in and out of the Ports.
While the review process continues, the NPA has reiterated its commitment to transparency, efficiency, and stakeholder engagement in determining the next phase of the call-up system.
Continue Reading

Headlines

National Single Window, a marriage of strange bed fellows that may change nothing in cargo clearance process – Segun Musa 

Funso OLOJO, Editor 
A maritime expert and the National Vice President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr Segun Musa, has taken a swipe at the celebrated National Single Window(NSW) programme of the Federal government, describing it as a ‘mere jamboree’ that may not have the desired impact on cargo clearance process at the Port.
Dr Musa, who was the guest at the weekly Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) roundtable discussion programme held on Wednesday, February 4th, 2026, at Apapa , Lagos,said the NSW is like ‘an ordinary shell that houses different agencies’ that don’t have equal efficiency in trade facilitation.
He noted that SW is like a chain and it will be as strong as it’s weakest link.
The NAGAFF chief observed that if all the participating agencies are not ready and their operations are not automated, the whole essence will be a waste of time and resources because, according to him, one of the agencies in the link  can delay the process due to inefficiency.
” What is the level of competence and efficiency of the participating agencies?
“If all of them are warehoused in a single window, an incompetent agency among them could frustrate the process.
“So let nobody deceive us that there’s going to be one single window that it’s going to be a game changer that will facilitate trade and everything will just be moving. It’s never true” Musa declared.
It could be recalled that the Federal government has fixed March 27th, 2026 as the official date for the launch of the first phase of the NSW.
On African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Dr Musa said the programme would not deliver meaningful impact for Nigeria without clearly defined, holistic and measurable policies to drive its implementation, criticizing what he described as Nigeria’s ceremonial participation in the programme.
According to him, genuine participation under AfCFTA should reflect in export volumes and measurable benchmarks rather than media showcases of minimal shipments.
“If we were serious under this scheme, we should be talking about exporting 200,000 to 300,000 containers by now — even up to a million.
” Instead, we are celebrating one or two containers and gathering media houses to showcase them. Is that participation? It’s painful for a country of this size,” he said.
Musa argued that policy frameworks must be predictive and structured in a way that allows stakeholders to key into them with certainty of outcomes.
“A policy must be holistic. You should be able to key into it and predict what will happen. That is the essence of policy. What we are doing now is a waste of time and resources,” he stated.
Responding to question on policy gaps and measurable benchmarks required to reposition Nigeria under AfCFTA, Musa maintained that the challenge was not the absence of declarations but the lack of institutional readiness and structured participation.
He further compared Nigeria’s export performance with that of Europe and Asia, noting that serious trading economies focus on volume and competitiveness rather than symbolic shipments.
The maritime expert expressed concern that without concrete benchmarks, coordinated institutional reforms and export-driven strategies, Nigeria may struggle to maximise opportunities under AfCFTA.
The roundtable ended with renewed calls for actionable policies, institutional competence and measurable targets to ensure that the continental trade agreement translates into tangible economic gains for the country
Continue Reading

Headlines

Indigenous maritime investors seek partnership with NIWA for mutual development of inland waterways 

Gloria Odion, Maritime Reporter 
A coalition of indigenous maritime tourism and transportation investors has pledged to unlock strategic investment opportunities aimed at developing Nigeria’s vast but largely untapped maritime tourism economy for the benefit of littoral communities in Lagos and across the country.
The group, Allied Concessionaires and Blue Economy Alliance, made the commitment during a courtesy visit to the Lagos Area Manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Engineer Sarat Braimah, on Tuesday at the NIWA Lagos Area Office.
Speaking during the visit, Chairman of the coalition, Bolaji Olasade, explained that the alliance is made up of reputable and experienced maritime tourism and transportation operators committed to redefining waterfront recreation and hospitality by integrating safe and efficient water transportation systems.
 He noted that the initiative is designed to create jobs, boost coastal tourism, and expand economic opportunities within Lagos and beyond.
“We came to formally introduce our coalition, which is not a conventional association but a consortium of visible and tested operators, mostly concessionaires, who are willing and ready to collaborate with NIWA to grow and develop inland waterways tourism infrastructure.
“We are also focused on opening up littoral communities through destination marketing and the promotion of resorts,” Olasade stated.
He added that the group seeks to reposition Nigeria’s brown water and blue economy sectors by transforming the country’s waterfront hospitality and tourism landscape into a globally competitive industry.
In her remarks, the Secretary of the coalition, Barrister Dorcas Aderemi, emphasized that the Nigerian marine and blue economy sector can only thrive when the inland waterways ecosystem is strategically aligned for sustainable investment and funding.
She called for a structured public-private partnership model between the private sector and NIWA to fast-track development and enhance inland waterways utilization.
According to her, such collaboration would not only stimulate economic growth and job creation but also significantly boost government revenue and national development.
The group commended Engineer Braimah for her leadership and commitment to industry growth, particularly her zero-tolerance stance on boat transportation accidents and security infractions on inland waterways in Lagos.
They also congratulated her on her recent Nelson Mandela Pan-African Leadership Award, describing it as a testament to her dedication to national service.
Responding, Engineer Braimah welcomed the delegation and expressed appreciation for their interest in partnering with NIWA.
She assured them of the Authority’s willingness to collaborate in unlocking opportunities within the inland waterways corridor in Lagos and across Nigeria.
“We are pleased to receive you and have listened carefully to your intentions to collaborate with us.
“We recognize that NIWA cannot achieve its mandate alone without the private sector, especially serious investors with genuine financial commitments to the industry.
“We will communicate your proposals to our headquarters in Abuja to explore how your group can leverage existing opportunities,” she said.
The Area Manager further highlighted the need to modernize inland water transportation by introducing new boats and ferries to gradually phase out outdated watercraft, thereby enhancing safety, efficiency, and value across the waterways transportation and hospitality sectors.
She concluded by urging the coalition to remain united, avoid internal conflicts, and focus on delivering meaningful impact, particularly for littoral communities that must be actively engaged and empowered to benefit from maritime tourism and transportation opportunities within their environment.
Continue Reading

Trending