Why MAN, Oron, cannot own a training vessel —Rector

The Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Commodore Duja Effedua has revealed that due to its very expensive nature and the huge cost of maintenance, the academy cannot afford to own a training vessel.

Speaking to Nigerian Tribune exclusively, Commodore Effedua stated that aside the huge cost associated with getting a training vessel, the amount needed for maintenance of such vessel is too enormous for the academy budget to contend with for now.

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According to the MAN, Oron Rector, “There is much more involved financially to own a training vessel, and our budget cannot afford that now. A training vessel is a specialized ship that consumes very much litres of diesel to stay afloat.

“If the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) decides to buy a training vessel for the academy and also maintain it, that will be fine by us. But we cannot afford a training vessel from our meager budget.

“For example, the Nigerian Navy has a ship called Thunder. Thunder is slightly bigger than Aradu. To fuel the NNS Aradu, you will need 35 petroleum tankers, and that will just probably give two weeks at sea. So when the Navy says it needs funding, people doesn’t understand.

“Same situation plays out with a training vessel. A training vessel is not a tug boat. A training vessel is a specialised vessel where the accommodation for the organic staff is different from where the cadets will be accommodated. To a layman, a ship is a ship, but a training vessel is just not any ship. It is a specialised vessel that costs huge funding to buy and maintain. The academy cannot afford to have one now.

“For now, what we are looking at is having a partnership with indigenous ship-owners. We are trying to work out something, and once we are done, our cadets will get sea time onboard ships.”

On simulators, Commodore Effedua revealed that the academy is already in talks with a firm in India to provide the equipment.

“We are already in talks with a firm in India over availability of simulators in the Academy. We were in India last year with NIMASA and officials of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, and we will be visiting again by end of January, 2019 to conclude the talks on simulators.

“Simulators are not things you buy off the shelf. You must discuss specification and other things, including preparing the place where the simulators will be stationed,” the MAN, Oron Rector added.