The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has announced plans to commence a new licensing regime for the operation of barges across the nation’s seaports through a regulatory framework.
The guidelines, which are under a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), must be complied with by all operators with effect from September 1, 2021.
A statement issued by the General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications Department of ports regulatory agency on Friday, Mr. Olaseni Alakija, indicated that NPA’s Acting Managing Director, Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko, disclosed this while speaking during an interactive session with members of Barge Operators of Nigeria (BOAN) during their working visit to the authority’s corporate headquarters.
He explained that with this development, the authority would review the modalities for the registration of barge operating license with emphasis on operators meeting the Minimum Safety Standards ((MSS) of their barges.
Bello-Koko warned that failure to comply with this requirement would deny any erring operator from using the channel.
He expatiated: ”Under the new set of regulations, an electronic call-up system is being developed for the deployment of barge operations in which barges would remain at their anchor until they are called to pick or discharge cargo. This is aimed at streamlining their movements to reduce congestion and possible threat to ocean-going vessels.’’
According to him, the regulatory agency will capture a comprehensive profile of all barge operators, highlight the carriers’ corporate name in order to facilitate easy identification, especially in line with efforts to curb the deployment of dilapidated barges.
Bello-Koko expatiated: “This is a new era in barge operations and all operators are required to key into these regulatory provisions.
“There will be a harmonised interactive session (berthing meetings) between the barge operators and the relevant designated Port Managers for specific areas where information sharing will be prioritised accordingly.
“These meetings are envisaged to create a forum where illegal barge and jetty operators will be identified”, he added.
As a means of easing the operations of barge owners, the NPA boss advised all terminal operators not to demand the collection of a N20 million bank bond, with a promise to liaise with relevant government agencies for a downward review of prevailing charges on the carriage of containers.
This is even as he explained that the management of the authority was working on effective collaboration with barge operators in the area of training to help improve on capacity so as to acquire more knowledge on the profession expected to impact positively on general port operations.
Making further clarifications on the latest regulatory guidelines, Bello-Koko said that barge operators who have been operating for close to three years without paying any tariff would now be required to make payments to the NPA, thereby generating more revenue for the government.
It would be recalled that followed the establishment of an inter-agency committee comprising representatives of the NPA, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and the Lagos State Inland Waterways Authority (LASWA) in March this year, the NPA clamped down on barges that were not sea-worthy and also sealed illegal jetties following increasing reports of abuses of process in their operations.
The NPA management said the committee was spearheading the clearing of the waterways of lay-by barges and tugboats along the Ibeji/Ilashe axis and as far as the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal and Mile Two Bridge and the removal of wrongly anchored barges that are obstructing visibility along the Kirikiri channel.
