The Indigenous Ship owners Association of Nigeria (ISAN) has urged the Federal Government to allow it to manage the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Unity Line, whose licence was revalidated recently. The Chairman of ISAN, Chief Isaac Jolapamo, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

According to him, the association is ready to manage the ship if the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) will not over-price it.

Jolapamo said that the association was sure that the BPE would not hesitate to hand over the national carrier to it, but it was not sure if the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) would allow it. Jolapamo said that the government should assist the association to float its own carrier if the association’s request failed.

He said ISAN planned to establish a “mega” shipping line that would have the status of a national carrier. According to him, the shipping line will operate side by side with the recently revived national carrier. BPE spokesman, Mr Chukwuma Nwokoh, had quoted its Director-General, Ms Bolanle Onagoruwa, as saying the operating licence of the national carrier had been revalidated by NIMASA.

Onagoruwa said that the shares of national carrier had been slated for sale in line with the reform programme of government. She said that the attempt to re-advertise the national carrier for 100 per cent equity sale would be premised on the some conditions.  Onagoruwa said the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010 (Local Content Act) had made it mandatory for NNPC and other key players in the oil industry to patronise the ship.

“The licence of renewed Nigeria Unity Line confers on it the status of a national carrier with several rights and privileges and opportunities created by the Cabotage Act 2003”, she said.

Onagoruwa said that the absence of a national shipping line and the renewed interest of investors in acquiring the Nigeria Unity Line made the new move imperative. She said that the BPE and NIMASA would soon place advertisements inviting for Expression of Interests from prospective investors.

The Nigeria Unity Line, which operated with one vessel – MV Abuja, was floated after the liquidation of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) in 1996.