Lawmakers order return of N50bn floating dock to Okerenkoko

…Decry payment of N4bn annual demurrage charges.

 From Jonas Ezieke, Abuja

The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA to return and install a floating dock acquired at a cost of over N50bn in Okerenkoko, Delta State.

It will be recalled that the dock since its arrival in the country on June, 11 2018 has been in a storage cart, owing to a bizarre bureaucratic wrangling over where it would located as its operational base.

The turn of events resulted into the controversial relocation of the dock by NIMASA.

Raising a motion at plenary on Wednesday Hon. Julius Pondi a lawmaker from Delta State had urged the House and the Management of NIMASA to abide by all the terms and conditions precedent to the acquisition of the floating dock with a view to ensuring that the dock is put into operation forthwith with Okerenkoko, Delta State as its base.

While calling on the Federal Government to as a matter of utmost urgency direct the installation of the floating dock at Okerenkoko,the location that was decided upon by the government as the operational base of the maritime facility, the House also reminded the authorities that Nigeria was paying over N4bn annually as demurrage charges for where it is parked.

Pondi moving the motion had said: “The House recalls that the Okerenkoko floating dock project was duly considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council at its 37th meeting on 23 October, 2013, and the approval was conveyed to the Federal Ministry of Transport on 29  October 2013;

“Also recalls that the entire project was in two phases involving the construction of ship building facility and dockyard at Okerenkoko Delta State, maritime equipment and structures, ancillary buildings and electro-mechanical works and facilities, as well as civil and infrastructural works;

“Further notes that since its arrival in Nigeria about two years ago, the dock has remained in a storage berthing space which according to NIMASA, is currently gulping thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) per day which translates to ten thousand, four hundred and forty million dollars ($10,440m) per year, which stands at approximately four billion naira (N4 billion) per year in demurrage charges;

“Worried that the modular floating dock when operational, is expected to save the Federal Government one hundred million dollars ($100million) annually, and one billion dollars ($1billion) in ten years through direct savings from the dry docking of vessels operating in Nigeria which is mostly done outside the country at the moment;

“Also worried that the floating dockyard which was designed by its manufacturers based on agreed specifications and with Okerenkoko as its agreed permanent operational site, has now been lying idle at the Naval dockyard in Lagos for no plausible justification other than desperate attempts to deprive away Delta State from hosting the facility at Okerenkoko;

“Concerned about attempts to review a decision on that had been made on the location of the floating dock through desperate claims and counter-claims of the existence of fresh surveys, and the claims being made by NIMASA about security concerns in the Niger Delta as the reason to move the floating dock away from Delta State, when other regions of the country are also being tormented by even more scary insecurity”.

In adopting the motion, the House presided by the Speaker Hon.Femi Gbajabiamila urged the Nigerian Navy to provide all necessary assistance, including dredging in Delta State, to enable NIMASA put the dock into use.

It further mandated its Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration to ensure implementation.

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