The joint maritime agencies committee on activities of barge operations on Lagos waterways, on Thursday, clamped down on illegal barge and jetty operators around the kirikiri lighter Terminal in Apapa, Lagos, sealing up illegal jetties, load bays and impounding Tug boats operating without approved certifications along the ever-busy channel.
The joint maritime agencies committee which comprises operatives and security officials from the National Inland Waterways Waterways Authority (NIWA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) asked Barges wrongly anchored and obstructing visibility on the channel to move out of the right of way and find better access to operate.
The action of the task force, on Thursday, which took most barge operators and illegal jetty Operators by surprise, was sequel to the recent uproar generated by careless barge operations and unlicensed tug boat crew members, some leading to avoidable fatalities.
Chairman of the joint maritime agencies Committee on the activities of barge operations, Captain Daniel Hosea Gangun stated that the committee would not relent until there’s total compliance by barge and illegal jetty operators to extant regulations on transportation on the waterways.
On the buy-in by stakeholders, Captain Gangun disclosed that the organised private sector barge operators association gave its nod to the enforcement regime, adding that their petitions to sanitise barge operations informed the federal agencies intervention.
Accordingly, they sealed illegal jetties and Tugboats without approved documentations, were manned by police officers attached to NIWA to prevent violation of the seal order. The clamped down and enforcement initiative is ongoing and would visit other channels within and around the Lagos waterways in weeks to come.
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