of wrecks that are posing dangers to safe navigation of ships on the nation’s
waters.
The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western
Naval Command, Rear Adm. Oladele Daji, made the called at a news conference at
the Base in Apapa, Lagos, earlier in the week.
Kirikiri, Navy Town and bad portion of the Badagry Creek as the most-affected
areas in terms of the wrecks.
maritime wrecks had been identified, which were submerged along the very busy
Lagos channel that provide a vital access into the Tin Can Island port.
He also called attention to the need to fix aids to navigation, which may have moved from their positions or had become non-functional, thus exposing ships to dangers.
navigational aid like the oils, markings, and light houses that are not
functional or missing or have shifted from their intended original positions.
also constitute risks to shipping, especially at night or during restricted
visibility.
Office, in line with its statutory responsibilities as identified, had
resurveyed the wrecks and had shared the surveys to relevant agencies of
government.
the agencies and departments responsible for removal of the wrecks on our
waterways.
authorities to take urgent action and remove these wrecks on our waterways so
that shipping, especially the safety of ships and seafarers will further be
guaranteed.
servicing bad navigational aids will equally assist the safety of navigation.
agencies to quickly move and respond to emergencies in case of distress at
sea.”
navigation of ships as well as pollution to the environment, Daji said: “The
hazard associated with these wrecks is that most often, especially during high
water, they are submerged and hardly visible to mariners and therefore, pose
greatest threats during this period of time.
the wrecks also constitute environmental pollution and hazards.
with laws and regulations in good light, especially to the global shipping
community.”
Calabar struck a submerged wreck in the middle of the channel a few months ago,
while moving harbours for patrols, an avoidable incident if the wrecks had been
removed.
this can be avoided if those wrecks are promptly removed when they were identified.
resources that will be put into making that vessel operational which would have
been deployed into better and more productive endeavors.
have also suffered similar fate in the past.
the wrecks on the nation’s waterways could make responses to distress calls
from vessels more difficult for agencies saddled with that responsibility,
particularly at night and in poor or restricted visibility.