WAF Shipping Focus: Week 30
- Agwe Logistics Solutions
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
The Nigerian Navy has recorded another major breakthrough in its anti-crude oil theft campaign with the interception of a vessel allegedly involved in illegal fuel oil and crude oil siphoning in Akwa Ibom State.
The operation, conducted under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, led to the arrest of 12 crew members and the seizure of large quantities of suspected stolen petroleum products.
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has disclosed that physical work on the long-awaited $1 billion port modernisation project is expected to commence before the end of the third quarter of 2026, as the agency intensifies stakeholder and host community engagement ahead of contractors’ mobilisation to site.
The assurance comes amid growing concerns within the maritime industry following reports that Nigeria has already commenced repayment of the foreign loan secured for the project, including interest, despite the fact that construction work has yet to begin.
One year after the launch of Nigeria’s National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy, maritime stakeholders have expressed mixed reactions over its implementation, with some calling for patience while others insist that stronger institutional frameworks are needed to translate the policy’s objectives into measurable outcomes.
The National policy, launched in May 2025 by the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is Nigeria’s 10-Year strategic framework (2025–2034) designed to unlock the economic potential of the nation’s 853-kilometer coastline while ensuring environmental sustainability. The policy focuses on modernizing port infrastructure, boosting maritime sectors like fishing and tourism, and enhancing coastal security to diversify the economy and reduce reliance on oil.
DAKUKU Peterside, Maritime Regulation and Compliance Expert and former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has declared that decarbonisation and the wider green maritime concept represent both a regulatory imperative and a significant competitive advantage for the global shipping industry.
Speaking as keynote speaker at a high-level webinar organized by Naturehedge in collaboration with the West Africa Green Economic Development Institute (WAGEDI), Gregory University, SSA Hub, and the Sustainable Energy Practitioners Association of Nigeria (SEPAN), Dr. Peterside emphasized that green maritime affects cost of operations, access to capital, profitability, and licence to operate.
A former acting President of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr. Farinto Kayode Collins, has called on the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashiru Adewale Adeniyi, to urgently address the operational deficiencies of the newly introduced B’Odogwu customs clearance portal, warning that its current shortcomings are causing significant delays in cargo clearance and increasing the cost of doing business at Nigerian seaports.
In an open letter addressed to the Customs boss, Farinto acknowledged Adeniyi’s transformative leadership of the Nigeria Customs Service, describing his election as Chairman of the World Customs Organization as a testament to his global recognition and diplomatic achievements.
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has reaffirmed that Nigerian youths remain at the heart of the country’s Marine and Blue Economy Policy, stressing that Nigeria’s ambition to become Africa’s Blue Giant will be driven by the younger generation. He stated this in a keynote address at the 10th Taiwo Afolabi Annual Maritime (TAAM) Lecture at the University of Lagos.
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