Clearing Nigerian coastline of shipwrecks

Apart from the threat they pose to navigation by maritime traffic, they pollute the marine ecosystem with rustic metal bodies, as well as rot of their inorganic and organic contents. Moreover they impose a negative impact on the nation’s tourism industry by defacing the beaches and accelerating coastline erosion.The dangers associated with the shipwrecks have […]

Apart from the threat they pose to navigation by maritime traffic, they pollute the marine ecosystem with rustic metal bodies, as well as rot of their inorganic and organic contents. Moreover they impose a negative impact on the nation’s tourism industry by defacing the beaches and accelerating coastline erosion.
The dangers associated with the shipwrecks have been highlighted on several occasions, including one by President Goodluck Jonathan who, during a visit to Lagos in 2013, ordered the removal of such structures. The recent alarm sounded by the Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development Mr Adesegun Oniru, about the disturbing nuisance value of such objects is just one more call to action. Oniru’s call also highlighted the additional danger of these wrecks providing hideouts for miscreants to hide in and operate from to unleash nefarious acts against the surrounding vulnerable locations and residents. He estimated that the cost of removing such structures would be N25 billion.
However, the responsibility for funding any operation to remove such structures should not be with either the Lagos State or federal government. Rather the cost should be borne by the owners of the vessels. This is the position of the law, not only in Nigeria but all over the maritime world.
Each of these vessels was licensed for operation to individual owners who are by law expected to demonstrate due liability for it from commissioning to decommissioning. For the vessels to be abandoned in their state of disuse and disrepair is indicative of a breach of the statutorily approved operational conditions.
A closer appraisal of the condition of some of these vessels revealed that they are often brought to, and then abandoned, in Lagos, at the point when they are old and at the verge of decommissioning, to capitalize on the slack approach of Nigerian authorities to enforcement of maritime laws.  A pointer to this is the fact that in spite of a surfeit of maritime regulatory agencies with sweeping powers, any portion of the nation’s coastline can serve unchecked as a graveyard for scrap marine vessels.
It is definitely a huge challenge to deal with, but the 25 billion naira price tag to meet it is indefensible. Mr Oniru’s asking the federal government to provide the money is misdirected, because the law is explicit on who should foot the bill, the vessels’ owners.
There are maritime regulatory agencies, under whose brief the serial violation of relevant maritime regulations covering the commissioning, operation and decommissioning of maritime vessels, whether flying the Nigerian flag or not, has been sustained. Such agencies as the Federal Ministry of Transport, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), along with counterpart agencies of the Lagos State Government easily come to mind. Why they have remained inactive and complacent over the years in enforcing the regulations is a disturbing development that needs inquiring into by the government.
Regulatory agencies like NIMASA should define a framework for the removal of these obstacles to maritime traffic by the owners and operators, with clear timelines and penalties for default, including public auction of the vessels.
In that way an effective penalty for abandoning decommissioned and in-operational marine vessels on the Nigerian coastline will be established, and the wilful indiscretion of errant operators punished.