By Hauwa Ali
There have been various concerns about Nigeria’s green shipping transition dancing from cost implication to resources and capacity-building to strengthen institutions which are responsible for making the transition a reality.
While many Laud the decision and plans of the federal government on the transition, many fear it will Increase the cost of transportation and good.
Although the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has assured that the implementation of new technologies toward achieving greener shipping is not going to be borne by Importers alone, many are still skeptical.
Speaking to journalists recently, the executive secretary of NSC, Hon. Emmanuel Jime, said Greener Shipping shouldn’t and increase the cost of doing business at the nation’s port.
But considering the fact that over 85 percent of goods and services that enters the country come through the seaport, any transition to greener fuels could be expensive, and consumers will most likely be at the receiving end due to the huge technological advancement that is required to adapt to this change.
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“The Nigerian Shippers’ Council is committed to ensuring that the added cost thrown up in the implementation of these new technologies does not increase the cost of doing business at the Nigerian seaports because there is going to be an implication as far as cost is concerned. What we intend to do at Shippers’ Council as regulator is to make certain that when this cost comes, there is a sharing formula that will make it proportionate so that both the shipping companies and indeed the shippers are in a position to share the cost implication that will arise as a result of the transition,” Jime said.
Speaking about the global emissions and IMO’s vision 2020, jime said “Our environment is constantly changing, and as it changes, so does the need to become increasingly aware of the problems that surround and affect it.
“These environmental problems are prompting the need for renewable and sustainable energy across the world.”
There’s no doubt that the call to responsibility for the shipping sector to take action to ensure zero-net environmental pollution demands deliberate efforts of all concerned authorities towards adopting measures,is not only to implement, but also to put in place accompanying measures to cushion the effects of the transition.
“Africa’s maritime sector is bound to be affected by the IMO 2020 targets and one of the key concerns of African states is the availability, quality and supply of low Sulphur fuel and whether refineries would be able to meet new demand.” jime noted.
According to him, One of the challenges is that Africa’s maritime sector is still developing and will require resources and capacity-building to strengthen institutions which are responsible for incorporating international conventions into local law, implementing the legislation and policing the environmental legislation.
Nigeria must rise above these concerns and lead Africa by example in it’s green shipping transition. One way to achieve this is by providing the required resources and capacity building to strengthen the institutions required to make the transition a reality, which the country’s leadership must take seriously.
