Despite collapsed breakwaters, Warri pilotage still berthing vessels – NPA

Although the Escravos breakwaters constructed to prevent the siltation of the Warri channels collapsed decades ago, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said it has put mitigants in place to ensure safe berthing of legally operating vessels in an effort to facilitate trade.

To address the challenges, the NPA said the Muhammed Bello- Koko- led administration has concluded the survey and mapping of the channel and is at the conclusive stages of securing relevant approvals for the best financing option to fund the reconstruction of the breakwaters.

“The up-to-date local and international training, simulation, and maneuverability competence building of the highly experienced pilots of the Authority has ensured zero incidence of vessels running aground and enabled the safe berthing on Friday, July 14, 2023, of inbound vessels MT Zonda and MT Stellar and outbound vessels MT Duke, MT Vardar, and MT Igbinosa, with six (6) vessels at anchorage outbound and inbound for Bonny Island, Koko, and Escravos.

“Conscious of the peculiarities of the Warri channel, the Authority procured and installed adequate buoys for Warri, realigned the entrance buoys, docked and reclassified vessels, and stipulated frequent simulation training and retraining for all the pilotage crew to enable them to respond to the exigencies of the channel.

“The occasionally reported incidences of vessels running aground cannot impede the channel as they are vessels operating illegally without NPA Marine Pilots onboard and ran aground only because they veered off the channel and safety-marked areas due to incompetence, ” the management said in a statement.

To enhance its domain awareness capability to detect and frontally keep illegal vessels at bay, the Authority said it recently awarded consultancy for the installation of Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) across all its Port locations, and the first phase is already complete.

“It will be recalled that the Authority recently acquired and deployed security patrol boats and intensified its collaborations with relevant security agencies to stem the activities of such illegal vessels whose activities result in such breaches, ” the management said.

Assuring all stakeholders doing business legally in the Warri Pilotage of navigational safety despite the urgent need for the breakwater reconstruction, Bello-Koko said: “While we are working assiduously under the guidance of the Ministry of Transportation and Federal Government to sustainably and comprehensively address the challenges of all Delta Ports, we have put measures in place to ensure nothing impedes business continuity for all those operating within our safety and security rules”.