Stakeholders in the Maritime sector have expressed displeasure with the wew registration fee imposed on indigenous shipowners by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
The registration fee of $2,000 has been imposed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
The former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Temisan Omatseye, stated this while speaking in Lagos recently at the 2024 Stakeholders Engagement.
Temisan lamented over the two licensing fees indigenous shipowners were mandated by NMDPRA.
He said NMDPRA is insisting on one licence where each shipowner pays $2,000 to register and now they are asking for another N2m.
“There are two licences now, which they call coastal licenses. They have now even issued a regulation in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, which gave them that power.”
He added that the agency didn’t have any powers at all because all powers are related, these are international provisions.
“Even any cable laid on the seabed belongs to NIMASA; any pipeline laid on the seabed belongs to NMASA. So, all they are asking for is that the ministry needs to step up, take back its responsibility, and give it back to NIMASA. Let us sit down with NMASA and manage our industry,” he said.
He urged the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to ensure that NIMASA was allowed to perform its constitutional responsibilities.
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