No waiver for ship-to-ship operators – Maritime workers

Workers in the maritime sector on Thursday called for appropriate invoicing for all Ship-To-Ship (STS) operators calling at the Nigerian ports. Mr Ifeanyi Mazeli, President, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, NPA Branch, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. He urged the Nigeria Ports Authority not to give waiver to illegal STS operators, saying that granting the waiver would fuel revenue leakage. Mazeli said that trans-loading of products in midstream would result in loss of huge revenue if the operators would not be made to pay accrued charges. According to him, illegal STS operations are a huge source of revenue leakage for Nigeria. He said that since there was no midstream refinery, it was doubtful companies operating in midstream were not getting their products through STS. “The union does not want issues that will distabilise the industry. ”We (maritime workers) know that there is no refinery at midstream even if a company claims to be bringing its product from Lagos shore or Cotonu shore,’’ he told NAN. The unionist also appealed to companies engaging in STS to pay the right charges to boost government revenues from ports.]]>