The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Ship Management Limited has lamented a global shortfall of skilled officers in the maritime industry.
Addressing journalists in Lagos, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, NSML, Abddulkadir Ahmed, said that there was an increasing demand for qualified seafarers, particularly officers.
He noted that the situation was expected to persist into the future, blaming the diminishing attractiveness of a career at sea as the major reason.
“There is a global shortage of skilled officers in the maritime industry. Industry sources point to increasing demand for qualified seafarers, particularly the officers, and this situation is expected to persist into the future. Diminishing attractiveness of a career at sea, coupled with rising man-berth ratios and continued fleet growth is likely to result in the highest shortfall of officers in the coming years.”
Speaking further, he said that lately, the focus of maritime regulators had shifted to the greenhouse gas reduction, noting that the changes were going to account for 90 per cent of global trade.
“The global maritime industry continues to be shaped by stringent environmental regulations and requirements. Lately, the focus of maritime regulators has shifted firmly to GHG emissions from international shipping. De-carbonization is also a key focus of regulators in the maritime industry and there are rafts of changes being considered in the industry that are reputed to account for over 90 per cent of global trade.
“The landscape of the maritime industry is shifting with the rising trends in technology. Industry sources posit that the trends are emerging out of necessity. Advances in shipbuilding, propulsion, smart shipping, advanced materials, big data and analytics, robotics, sensors, artificial intelligence, and communications are all impacting the maritime industry,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Ship Management Limited, manager of the NLNG Bonny Terminal, has achieved the terminal’s Ecoport Port Environmental Review System.
The PERS certification is the only port sector-specific environmental management standard mainly achieved by leading ports/terminals globally.
In a statement, the MD, Ahmed said that the certification was an attestation that the facilities and operations at NLNG’s Bonny Terminal complied with leading environmental management practices.
He stated that the certification showed the commitment of NSML and its parent company, NLNG, to green operations that were friendly to the environment and reduce the company’s carbon footprint.
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