The Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) says it is joining the global maritime community to celebrate the 2014 Day of the Seafarer.
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the theme for the Seafarers Day 2014 has been tagged “Seafarers brought me…”.
MARAN said that this year’s celebration will take place at the International Maritime Press Centre, Atlantic House, Apapa, Lagos.
The association also expressed deep concern about the plight of Nigerian Seafarers who are frustrated as a result of their inability to secure jobs onboard vessels.
In a statement issued in Lagos by the association recounted that the problems of Nigerian seafarers started with the mismanagement and subsequent liquidation of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL).
Regrettably, MARAN noted that Nigerian Seafarers of today are frustrated professionals because they are not meaningfully engaged.
The association therefore enjoined the Federal Government through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to urgently take adequate measures to ensure that Nigerian seafarers are adequately rewarded by their employers. MARAN noted that this is key, especially as the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 is coming on stream in June 2014. The convention seeks to improve the welfare of seafarers all over the world.
The association further appealed to NIMASA to expedite actions on the proposed creation of a new national shipping line as declared by the Director General of the agency, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi in Lagos recently.
The new national carrier, according to MARAN, will be able to engage unemployed seafarers some of whom are products of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron and beneficiaries of the Nigeria Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).
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