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By Kenneth Jukpor
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has directed all duly registered stevedoring companies with operational areas allotted by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), which are yet to start operation, to commence operations at their respective work locations.
The directive, contained in a marine notice issued by NIMASA, said the affected companies should report any encumbrances to the Agency. This is in line with the Stevedoring Regulation, 2014, gazetted by the Federal Government of Nigeria, developed pursuant to the NIMASA Act, 2007.
NIMASA equally notified all operators of ports, jetties, onshore or offshore oil and gas or bonded terminals, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), offshore dock terminals, dry ports and platforms, and other work locations to grant duly appointed stevedoring companies access to their premises for commencement of operations.
Prioritizing local content, the agency said only corporate bodies duly registered in Nigeria would be allowed to employ dock labour or engage in stevedoring work on board or from ships. Such corporate entities must have satisfied the requirements for registration specified in the Stevedoring Regulation, 2014, and obtained a Stevedoring license from NIMASA.
“Every dock labour employer or stevedoring company shall provide proper and safe working conditions for the convenience and proper working of its employees and ensure that all stevedoring plants and equipment supplied and being used in their operations are safe and in good condition,” the Agency stated.
Employers of dock labour or stevedoring companies are mandated to provide adequate insurance cover for health, personal injury, loss of earnings, and compensation, relating to any incident affecting dockworkers or stevedores in the course of the work of the dock labour employer or the stevedoring company.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, also warned that the consequences for non-compliance with the guidelines set out in the Stevedoring Regulation, 2014, shall be enforced, in addition to other penalties, such as detention of vessels, sealing of operational area or work location, and prosecution.
