Specify non-conventional ships for proper waste management, control— Akinsoji

A maritime expert and former Inspector of Ships of the federation, Engr. Soji Akinsoji, has called on the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to include specification for ships operating in the nation’s inland waterways as a means of ensuring effective management and control of waste generated in the area.

Akinsoji who was also one time Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), disclosed this recently in Lagos.
He noted that without specifying and inclusion of non-conventional vessels in the guideline to be adopted, it would be difficult to effectively control the dumping of waste into the nation’s waterways.

He explained that specification would not only allow for categorisation of these ships but would also help in the monitoring and control of dumping of waste in the marine environment, in term of volume.

He stressed that there was need for NIMASA to play a leading role in the implementation of the law when it finally becomes enforceable since the guideline provides for multiple implementors.