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World Maritime Day Parallel Event ends in South Africa

 

— as Jamoh pledges Nigeria’s commitment to greener shipping
—Iran hosts 2023 edition of WMDPE
The Eyewitness reporter

The World Maritime Day Parallel Event (WMDPE), which was held in Durban, South Africa from the 12th to the 14th, of October 2022, has ended.

In his opening speech at the event, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said:
“After a two-year pause in parallel events due to the pandemic, it is an enormous pleasure to be able to welcome you all here to Durban for the 2022 World Maritime Day Parallel Event.
“The Parallel Event was instituted to provide an opportunity to take the World Maritime theme “on the road” and it is undoubtedly one of the most important maritime events, worldwide.”

Secretary-General Lim highlighted the need for ‘innovation’ and ‘inclusivity’ as shipping voyages to a decarbonized future, in which digitalization and automation will play a key role.

“Innovation is fundamental to the maritime industry’s successful energy transition.

“It requires new technologies, renewable alternative fuels and infrastructure to support low- and zero-carbon shipping, along with new financial solutions to support all those practical aspects,” he said.

“We also need innovative teams working together, created through research and development partnerships. These should involve both the public and private sectors because we need all hands on deck to ensure these initiatives succeed.

” This needs to be done in the most inclusive way possible as we address capacity-building, technology and infrastructure to bring on board developing countries, in particular, least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the energy transition.
” No one should be left behind. Digitalization and automation can be counted amongst the technologies that will help us on the voyage towards cleaner, greener and more efficient shipping but this does not mean that we ignore the human element,” Mr. Lim said.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, who also graced the event,  called for maritime nations to actualize the adoption of modern technology as a means of attaining cleaner and greener shipping in line with this year’s World Maritime Day commemoration theme.

Dr Jamoh, who stated this while speaking on the sidelines of the World Maritime Day Parallel Event (WMDPE) also stated that Nigeria would seek to contribute to the global push towards reducing emissions from shipping activities.

According to him, “The theme of this year’s event “New technologies for greener shipping” as declared by the IMO calls for the global family of nations to take action on decarbonisation of shipping and ports through the use of zero or low carbon technologies, fuels and infrastructure. The ultimate goal for Nigeria is to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the globe for sustainable development of our local sector”.

As one of the most important maritime events on a global scale, the WMDPE is a definitive stage for the international community to make concrete contributions and progress on collaboration geared at innovative solutions to address mitigation strategies to reduce the maritime transport carbon footprint

Welcoming high-level delegates from across the globe, the Honourable Fikile Mbalula, Transport Minister, South Africa, said:
“The theme for this year’s World Maritime Day Parallel Event, “New technologies for greener shipping”, calls for the global family of nations to take action on decarbonisation of shipping and ports through the use of zero or low carbon technologies, fuels and infrastructure.
“The ultimate goal is to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the globe for sustainable development. The big question we must answer is: “How do we get to a future that is sustainable, and facilitates global seaborne trade from all corners of the globe?”

He highlighted his “appreciation and applaud stakeholders, including the oil and bunker industry, manufacturers, academia, and shipping industry in general, for all your efforts and initiatives aimed at using research and innovation for the development of greener technologies as the pathway to the decarbonisation of this important industry.”

Noting the potential for countries to be part of the transition to cleaner fuels, he said, “We believe that the abundance of renewable energy potential can accelerate the development of greener technologies and alternative fuels in order to meet the demand of supplying bunker to ships at our ports.”

IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim is greeted by the Honourable Fikile Mbalula, Transport Minister, South Africa.
The panel session covered the World perspective on greener shipping – decarbonization; Collaboration and capacity building; Digitalisation for safer and efficient shipping; and Oceans and the blue economy.

IMO Secretary-General Lim hosted a ministerial round table on the sidelines of the event.

During the closing ceremony on Friday, 14 October, the World Maritime Day flag was handed over to the World Maritime Day Parallel Event host for 2023, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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Customs

Apapa Customs leads intelligence – based operation to intercept 1.8tonnes of Cannabis Sativa, N12.8b worth of expired pharmaceuticals products

Funso OLOJO, Editor
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has led an intelligence- led operation in conjunction with the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Monday, 15th June, 2026, to intercept a 40FT container with number CAAU7569127 conveying a large consignment of Cannabis Sativa, commonly known as “Canadian.
According to the Apapa Customs command, the operation led to the recovery of 3,639 sachets of the illicit substance, with each sachet weighing 500 grams, bringing the total weight to approximately 1,819 kilograms (1.81 tonnes).
Preliminary field tests conducted on the substance returned positive results for Cannabis Sativa.
The drugs were cleverly concealed inside a black Toyota Nissan vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, along with several bags and drums loaded inside the container.
The interception highlights the Command’s enhanced capacity to detect and dismantle sophisticated smuggling networks attempting to exploit Nigeria’s maritime entry points.
The examination was carried out in collaboration with key security and regulatory agencies.
In a related development, the Command intercepted 2 x 40FT containers loaded with expired pharmaceutical products illegally imported into the country.
Physical examination revealed that the pharmaceutical products have varied expiry date of 2021, 2022 and 2023 which the importers planned to relabel  and reintroduce into the Nigerian market, posing serious health risks to unsuspecting consumers.
The 1 x 40FT with number PCIU8771576 contained expired pharmaceuticals including Cidoxilin Capsules, Cynamine Vitamin B12 Injection and Becoline B-Complex Injection.
While, 1 x 40FT container with number MRKU4961275 contained various expired medical products such as Oxytocin Injection, Mexclor Eye Drops, Avomex Tablets, Carbamazepine Tablets, Silymarin Tablets, Nystatin Tablets, Hyoscine Butylbromide Tablets.
The seized items have a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N12.8 billion .
The substantial seizure highlights the scale of the attempted economic sabotage and underscores the unwavering commitment of the Nigeria Customs Service to protecting national security, public health and the Nigerian economy through intelligence-driven enforcement operations.
Commenting on the seizures, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba warned that “unpatriotic importers and their collaborators who deliberately engage in smuggling, drug trafficking and the importation of expired pharmaceuticals are enemies of Nigeria’s progress.
“We have the intelligence, the technology and the resolve to identify and apprehend them.
“Anyone still contemplating these criminal acts should immediately desist, because the consequences will be swift, decisive and uncompromising.
“Apapa Port will not be used as a conduit for economic sabotage and public health endangerment.”
Comptroller Oshoba further warned that Apapa Port and all Customs-controlled areas remain under constant surveillance.
The CAC reassured all Nigerians of the Command’s commitment to intensifying intelligence-driven operations to protect lives, secure legitimate trade and uphold national security.
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Headlines

Nigerian ports gain global recognition as World Bank ranks Apapa, Tin Can among world’s most improved ports.

Gloria Odion, Maritime reporter

Nigeria’s ongoing port modernisation and infrastructure upgrade programme has earned international recognition, with two of the country’s busiest seaports—Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports—listed among the world’s top 20 most improved ports by the World Bank.

The recognition came in the World Bank’s 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), released in June 2026, which highlighted both Lagos ports in its global ranking of ports that recorded the most significant improvements in operational efficiency.


The CPPI provides a consistent, data-driven assessment of port performance worldwide by measuring the time vessels spend in port.

The index enables stakeholders to compare port efficiency across different countries and over time, while identifying areas of progress and operational challenges.

The latest ranking is a major endorsement of the Federal Government’s efforts to modernise Nigeria’s port infrastructure and enhance trade facilitation through reforms spearheaded by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

According to the Authority, the achievement further reinforces its contribution to sustaining Nigeria’s trade surplus by providing efficient port services that support growing import and export activities.

Nigeria has recorded consecutive annual trade surpluses since 2024, with the most recent figure standing at N7.54 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Reacting to the development, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Abubakar Dantsoho, attributed the achievement to the Federal Government’s investor-friendly policies and the ongoing port modernisation drive.

“With the investor-friendliness of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu providing the gravitas needed for increased investment to implement our port infrastructure and equipment modernisation drive, coupled with the unflinching support of the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, we have all it takes to advance the fortunes of trade and boost the national economy,” Dantsoho stated.

The World Bank recognition is expected to further strengthen investor confidence in Nigeria’s maritime sector and support ongoing efforts to position the country’s ports as competitive gateways for regional and international trade.

 

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Customs

Customs Zone ‘C’ Intercepts Smuggled Vegetable Oil Worth N403.5 Million

Funso OLOJO, Editor

 

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘C’, Owerri, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recorded a major anti-smuggling success with the interception of a large consignment of smuggled foreign vegetable oil valued at over N403.5 million.

The seizure followed strategic intelligence gathering and coordinated operations by officers of the Unit, leading to the interception of two trailers conveying the prohibited products.

Items seized include:
3,310 jerry cans (25-litre kegs) of Super Delicious vegetable oil;
10 jerry cans (10-litre kegs) of Super Delicious vegetable oil;
20 cartons of 5-litre sunflower vegetable oil; and
20 cartons of 3-litre sunflower vegetable oil.

According to the Unit, operatives intercepted one of the trucks carrying the consignment at about 10:00 p.m. on May 9, 2026, along the Ninth Mile axis of Enugu State, while the second truck was intercepted on June 7, 2026, along the Onitsha–Agbor Highway, following credible intelligence.

The Command disclosed that the seized goods have a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N403,491,000.
Speaking on the seizure, the Controller of FOU Zone ‘C’, Bashir Balogun, described the operation as a significant blow to economic saboteurs whose activities undermine local industries and the nation’s economy.

He noted that the illegal importation of foreign vegetable oil negatively affects domestic production, technology transfer, job creation, and foreign exchange earnings.

Balogun emphasized that the operation demonstrates the Service’s unwavering commitment to enforcing the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2022 and the Federal Government’s fiscal and protective policies prohibiting the importation of foreign vegetable oil.

He warned individuals and syndicates involved in smuggling to desist from such activities, stressing that the Nigeria Customs Service would continue to deploy intelligence-driven enforcement strategies to safeguard public health, national security, and the domestic economy.

The seized vegetable oil remains in the custody of the Service while investigations into the smuggling network continue.

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