Gilbert Ekugbe
The European Union (EU) has extended the Commercial Maritime Presence (CMP) scheme until February 2024, noting that the extended period is to allow ECOWAS strengthen the anti-piracy mechanism to checkmate pirate attacks against commercial vessels in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Ambassador of France to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatman represented by the Consul General of France in Lagos, Laurence Monmayrant at the 7th Lagos International Maritime week 2022 tagged “New technologies for greener shipping in Africa” said the decision to extend the CMP scheme is coming on the heels of the successes recorded by the initiative that has reduced more than 80 per cent of pirate attacks against commercial vessels in the Gulf of Guinea.
She advised that the mechanism to be deployed by ECOWAS must involve apprehension at sea, legal finish and imprisonment.
She also stated that the introduction of new patterns, both innovative and economically viable, can only be achieved if maritime routes are secure, pointing out that these routes cover huge areas where seafarers and goods must be safe for trade to happen.
The Chairman, Nigeria Ports Consultative Council, Lagos, Nigeria, Kunle Folarin, said Nigeria’s shipping industry will become more environmentally friendly by strict regulation, saying that the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has proposed a 2020 Sulfur limit on the exhaust from the stacks of ocean-going ships. He said IMO has also called for ships to produce about 85 percent less sulfur by the end of next year, and to have their total greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050.
The Chairman, Zoe Maritime Resources Limited, Oritsematosan Edodo Moore, said ports as a major part of shipping infrastructure, are top value generating facilities, that stimulates trade and also serve as revenue generating streams for governments and is a veritable source of employment, therefore its efficiency and development is extremely important for the African continent.
