3rd December, 2010
The Management of Goa Shipyard in Vasco Dagama, India has expressed its intent to invest in developing the shipyard and ship repair sector of the Nigerian maritime industry.
The company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Vladmir Kumar made their intention public when he led a team from Goa Shipyard to pay a courtesy call to the Management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA.
The NIMASA Director General, Mr. Â Temisan Omatseye commended the Management of Goa Shipyard for identifying Nigeria as their destination adding that the country has vast maritime potential which provides a major investment opportunity for any investor.
He described the Local Content Act, and the Nigerian Cabotage Law as instruments of government which provides protection for indigenous investors and their international counterparts who desire to invest directly in developing local capacity and infrastructure in the maritime sector.
While reiterating the Agency’s commitment to developing ship repair and ship building capacity in the country Omatseye  informed  the team from Goa Shipping company that NIMASA has proposed some fiscal and administrative incentives to encourage the growth of  the sector in Nigeria.
These include tax holidays and declaring shipyards as free trade zones amongst others
“I am looking at a private sector driven ship building sector. We will provide the enabling environment for your investment to thrive and our aim is to adopt a ground level – upward strategy.
“Our desire to develop a virile ship repair industry in Nigeria is borne out of the need to start maintaining the hundreds of vessels on our ship registry,” he said. The DG stated that a virile ship repair industry is a major tool that will enhance enforcement of minimum safety standards in the Nigerian maritime sector as stipulated by the International Maritime Organization. (IMO)
In his words “establishing ten fully functional ship repair yards in Nigeria would only be a starting point. If I cannot encourage the growth of Shipyards in Nigeria, enforcing the regulatory tools as stipulated by the IMO will be difficult to implement. It’s now a case of the chicken and the egg, which comes first?â€
He also noted that with the application for extension of the Nations Exclusive Economic Zone, the need for large patrol boats in the near future will become inevitable.
The NIMASA boss also gave an assurance that the Agency will collaborate with the Nigerian Content Developing Monitoring Board, NCDMB, to harmonies positions in ensuring that investment in Nigeria by Goa shipping company is grounded on the right footing.
—Esther Komolafe
Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2010 P.M.News