Fear of job loss has gripped port workers as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) disclosed that it would connect its automation to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in order to boost seamless cargo clearance processes and procedures in the nation’s seaports. However, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) said that such a decision might force its members out of job. The union expressed concerns that the rapid introduction of technology and innovations in the maritime domain would lead to job losses. Regardless of the fear, the authority stressed that it had already connected its operations to shipping companies, terminal operators and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Also, NPA explained that it had commenced moves to meet the 2025 target of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to create an effective and efficient port community system in the country. At the third port industry’s town hall meeting with the theme: ‘Essence of automation to productive blue economy,’ the Managing Director of the authority, Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko, said that the NPA had concluded the interconnectivity of its operations to create seamless cargo clearing procedures. Bello-Koko, who was represented by the Apapa Port Manager, Mr Charles Okagha, added that the automation would not only bring about efficiency but lead to increased revenue and profitability.
He stressed that NPA would meet the 2025 target of the IMO going by the speed at which it was automating. Bello-Koko explained: “We have developed a lot of automation-based processes. In time past, before the introduction of Electronic Ship Entry Notice (E-SEN), it takes about two weeks from the time of application to the time of approval and issuance of the ship entry notice certification. “However, since the introduction of electronic processing of ship entry notice, it takes about one hour for a function that used to take up to one or two weeks, depending on the idiosyncrasies of the man on the table and all the table the documents need to pass through. “When you look at the cost benefit of carrying out a function of two weeks in one hour, you will see that that is quite massive. We also have the electronic ship manifest where rather than submit ship manifest to us in hard copy, manifests are submitted in electronic format. “The Customs automation has so improved that we have recorded some reasonable turn around in productivity. The berthing meeting that used to be a physical meeting only meets two times a week and other days, berthing meeting are done virtually.
These are some of the initiatives that port automation has introduced into port e-manifest. With these initiatives, NPA will definitely meet the IMO 2025 target of creating a Port Community System (PCS).” However, the Deputy President General of MWUN, Comrade Harry Tonye, said that relevant government agencies and other stakeholders should ensure that such technological advancement were not made at the expense of maritime workers. The deputy president general, who harped on upskilling of workers of the four components of the union, expressed doubts about job sustainability when the ports would be fully automated. Tonye noted that the union was open for discussion on the need to train workers to fulfilling modern trends in port operations. According to him, employers of labour in the port community should focus on manpower and human capacity development in line with international best practices, stressing that shipping line agencies, terminal operators and government agencies like the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) have not been able to build capacity for workers to meet up with the dynamism of the automation system in port operations.
Tonye noted that port automation, in line with the mandate of the blue economy, was a guise to reduce the workforce by contract and outsourcing to few individuals at the detriment of maritime workers. He said: “We have been talking about automation automation, and as good as automation is, it also has its own disadvantages and one of such disadvantages is that it is going to affect a lot of workers in the maritime space.”Fear of job loss has gripped port workers as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) disclosed that it would connect its automation to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in order to boost seamless cargo clearance processes and procedures in the nation’s seaports. However, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) said that such a decision might force its members out of job. The union expressed concerns that the rapid introduction of technology and innovations in the maritime domain would lead to job losses. Regardless of the fear, the authority stressed that it had already connected its operations to shipping companies, terminal operators and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Also, NPA explained that it had commenced moves to meet the 2025 target of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to create an effective and efficient port community system in the country. At the third port industry’s town hall meeting with the theme: ‘Essence of automation to productive blue economy,’ the Managing Director of the authority, Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko, said that the NPA had concluded the interconnectivity of its operations to create seamless cargo clearing procedures. Bello-Koko, who was represented by the Apapa Port Manager, Mr Charles Okagha, added that the automation would not only bring about efficiency but lead to increased revenue and profitability. He stressed that NPA would meet the 2025 target of the IMO going by the speed at which it was automating. Bello-Koko explained: “We have developed a lot of automation-based processes. In time past, before the introduction of Electronic Ship Entry Notice (E-SEN), it takes about two weeks from the time of application to the time of approval and issuance of the ship entry notice certification. “However, since the introduction of electronic processing of ship entry notice, it takes about one hour for a function that used to take up to one or two weeks, depending on the idiosyncrasies of the man on the table and all the table the documents need to pass through.
“When you look at the cost benefit of carrying out a function of two weeks in one hour, you will see that that is quite massive. We also have the electronic ship manifest where rather than submit ship manifest to us in hard copy, manifests are submitted in electronic format. “The Customs automation has so improved that we have recorded some reasonable turn around in productivity. The berthing meeting that used to be a physical meeting only meets two times a week and other days, berthing meeting are done virtually. These are some of the initiatives that port automation has introduced into port e-manifest. With these initiatives, NPA will definitely meet the IMO 2025 target of creating a Port Community System (PCS).”
However, the Deputy President General of MWUN, Comrade Harry Tonye, said that relevant government agencies and other stakeholders should ensure that such technological advancement were not made at the expense of maritime workers. The deputy president general, who harped on upskilling of workers of the four components of the union, expressed doubts about job sustainability when the ports would be fully automated. Tonye noted that the union was open for discussion on the need to train workers to fulfilling modern trends in port operations. According to him, employers of labour in the port community should focus on manpower and human capacity development in line with international best practices, stressing that shipping line agencies, terminal operators and government agencies like the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) have not been able to build capacity for workers to meet up with the dynamism of the automation system in port operations. Tonye noted that port automation, in line with the mandate of the blue economy, was a guise to reduce the workforce by contract and outsourcing to few individuals at the detriment of maritime workers. He said: “We have been talking about automation automation, and as good as automation is, it also has its own disadvantages and one of such disadvantages is that it is going to affect a lot of workers in the maritime space.”
