Transportation

ONE of the three service providers contracted to scan containers at the nation's seaports has lost about $1billion from 1996 till date due to quantity of containers brought into the Calabar port.
The Chief Executive Officer of the company Chief Fred Ugochuckwu made this remark in Calabar at a recent seminar organized by Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria.
Giving a breakdown of the containers scanned he said that since March 2008 the company has only scanned Eleven containers.
According to him “ In the last four and half years that we have operated in Calabar,1493 Form M were opened and 1516Risk Asse4sement Report were issued.

INDIGENOUS and foreign ship owners have continued to loose revenue due the approach adopted Judges of the Federal High Court in presiding over matters related to maritime, the Managing Director Dana and Associates Mr. Dania Tony has said.
The remark of Tony is coming against the backdrop of the fact that when there is a dispute between two parties the process of settling dispute is started by arrest of vessel/aircraft or goods through application of expartie motion even though it was not put on notice.

•Government should embark on capital dredging of the channels to a depth of at least 10 meters.
•Due to the high level of siltation a company should be appointed to handle the maintenance dredging of the Calabar port.
•The bidding process for dredging the port should be competitive.
•Access road to the port should be dualized.
•The Nigerian Ports Authority should adopt a deliberate policy that low draft vessels must berth at the Calabar port.
•Nigerian Ports Authority should also waive payment for Pilotage so as to serve as an incentive to attract importers.
•Cross Rivers State government should show commitment to the dredging of the Calabar. port.

Mazda Hatchback
...In Own Class
MAZDA was started as Toyo Cork Kogyo Company Limited in 1920. At that time the company manufactured machine tools.
In 1931 the company moved into making automobiles. During the World War II, the company was involved in making weapons for the Japanese military. After the war, the company formally became Mazda.
Later Ford Motors Company became a significant stock holder with a 15 per cent stake. At that time, Mazda was having troubles and Ford increased its holdings to a controlling stake of 33.39per cent.

•Strike threatens 2,500 flights •Passengers to face delay
FOR over two years now, the situation has remained stand-still between the British Airways and its employees over an unresolved management versus employee job agreement issue, which seems to constitute a threat to the operation of the airline.
BA, at the heat of the global recession, resolved to downsize its staff strength to make do with minimal manpower resources in order to cut cost, but unaware of the likely may7m the decision might cause the company.
At a point, the management of BA introduced a work and pay-off system which almost meant that interested staff would work visually for a period for which a pay would be approved.

DELEGATE in the United States have commended Arik Air of Nigeria for its numerous contribution and impact to the growth and development of airlines business in Africa and in the US.
The US delegate made this applaud at the just concluded eighth African Growth and Opportunities Act, AGOA, Forum in Washington DC.
Mr. Fred Hochberg, President of United States' Export_Import (EXIM) Bank, applaud Arik Air for its outstanding contributions to the growth of aviation in Africa and trade relations with the U.S.

THE International Air Transport Association (IATA) has listed Jat Airways, one of Belgrade's leading airlines among the top thirty safest airlines in the world as part of its operational safety audit program,
The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) program, which is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system, was designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.
IOSA's quality audit principles are designed to conduct audits in a standardized manner.
IATA is an international trade body, created over 60 years ago by a group of airlines. Today, IATA represents some 230 airlines comprising 93% of scheduled international air traffic.

THE American Airlines recently disclosed its decision to charge a fee to customers who want to sit in the first few rows of the coach class cabin, an avenue like which some other airlines have embarked upon to generate revenue with creative fees on perks that used to be included in the ticket price.
The carrier said the program called "Express Seats" allows passengers pay to sit in those seats and enter the plane in the first group, to speed boarding and exiting.
The fee starts at $19 for short flights like St. Louis to Chicago and rises to $39 for longer trips like Chicago to Honolulu. The decision doesn't affect travelers from the shores of Nigeria. It is a target on those traveling within the United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Customers may purchase the seats only at airport self-service check-in machines any time from 24 hours to 50 minutes before departure.

THE purpose of acquisition of the newly acquired sophisticated security devices at the Nigerian international airports is yet to see the light of day as the equipments have been lying fallow due to man power alternative put in place to take its place.
It could be recalled that on realizing the likelihood of recurrence of the December 25,  2009 bomb attempt involving Farouk Abdul Mutallab, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), with strong support from the United States (US) government put in place security check facilities to cub any further scenario.

REPORT has shown that Air traffic worldwide fell 1.8% last year to 4.8 billion arriving and departing passengers.
The report, according to the Airports Council International indicated that the decline was more pronounced in North America (down 5.2%) and Europe (down 5.4%). But the emerging markets in the Middle East (up 7.7%), Asia-Pacific (up 4.9%) and Latin America-Caribbean (up 1.5%) maintained growth.

THE federal government has declared that there is no moral justification for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to compel port concessionaires to reduce terminal charges when it has not fulfilled its own part of the concession agreement.
Minister of Transport, Yusuf Suleiman, expressed disappointment over the poor state of common user facilities at the ports, and that NPA has failed to fix the facilities as enshrined in the concession agreement signed by the concessionaires with the government. According to the Minister  the facilities should be provided before descending on concessionaires on reduction of charges.

AS part of its mandate to ensure effective Maritime Security as well as Search and Rescue, the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) recently commenced a- three day Long Range Identification and Tracking,  at the National Data Coordination Centres in Lagos.
The Three day Long Range Identification and Tracking is in compliance with regulation V-19- of the 1974 SOLAS Convention relating to LRIT which entered into force on 1st January 2009.

THE Tin- Can Island Command of the Nigerian Custom Service has generated N50.9billion between the month of January and June this year.
A breakdown of this figure shows that in the month of February, the Command generated N10.4billion and in the month of March N10.8billion was generated.
By the month of April and May, the Command generated N13billion and N8.7billion respectively.
According to the revenue chart made available to National Daily the Command also generated N8.9billion.

A consignment of arms and ammunition destined for Port-Harcourt in Rivers State was recently impounded by the Nigerian Customs Service at Ports Terminal Multipurpose Services Limited in Lagos.
According to a press statement signed by the Area Controller of the Command, Mr. Eporwei Edike the items were imported into the country in a 40 footer container declared as personal effects.

AS part of efforts to enhance development of the maritime sector in collaboration with other African countries is in the process of establishing Regional Maritime Development Bank just as the $55million Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund [CVFF] would soon be disbursed to indigenous shippers in Nigeria.
Direcyor General Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency [NIMASA] who dropped this hint at a forum organized to mark his one year in office said that the management of the Agency is in the fore-front of driving the process for the establishment of the Regional Maritime Development Bank to further provide funding corridor for ship acquisition and infractructural development.

FOUR years after concession of the port terminals, officials of the Bureau for Public Enterprises [BPE] recently inspected the port terminals in Lagos with a view to assessing the level of development made after the handing over of the terminals by the Nigerian Ports Authority to private terminal operators.

The Bureau officials led by Sir Allwell Ibeh, Director of Industry and Services acknowledged the fact that the terminal operators have made a difference in terms investment in equipment and capacity building compared to when the Nigerian Ports Authority was managing the port terminals even as the terminal operators complained that in spite of the huge investment so far made, the Nigerian Ports Authority [NPA] and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency[[NIMASA] have continued to impose charges that are not reflected in the terms of agreement signed between the Nigerian Ports Authority, Bureau for Public Enterprises and the Private Terminal operators.

THE Tin-Can Island Command of the Nigeria Custom Service has generated N50.9billion between the month of January and June this year.
A breakdown of this figure shows that in the month of February, the Command generated N10.4billion and in the month of March N10.8billion was generated.
By the month of April and May, the Command generated N13billion and N8.7billion respectively.
According to the revenue chart made available to National Daily the Command also generated N8.9billion.

•Set for exploration
•Assures on TRACON
THE much long awaited 'Category one' certification of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expected to be granted the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has drawn near, as indications show that it would be delivered by September this year.
Having gone through series of tests and met certain requirements under the supervision of the FAA, there has been assurance that NCAA will finally get its mouth watering global standard certification.

THE Managing Director/CEO of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO Aviance), Mr. Bates Sule, has commended the new management team of Air Nigeria for the significant improvement by the airline in its operations as well as public perception in the last few months.
Mr. Sule made the commendation during a courtesy visit to Air Nigeria in Lagos recently.

PASSENGERS at the local airport have expressed displeasure at the recent decision by Aero airline to increase charges on excess baggage at the counter.
A regular passenger of one of the airlines, Dr. Mike Ekugbe lamented to National Daily that the former charge was quite unbearable not to now talk of the increment.
It could be recalled that Aero, in June announced that it would increase the excess baggage charge for domestic passengers at the airport effective July 01, from its formal charge of NGN 200 per kilogram to NGN 500 per kilogramme.
According to another airline passenger, Musa Adodo, “It was not worth it for Aero to take such decision. Even if such increment should be made for whatever reason, it shouldn't be that exorbitant”
But while defending the decision taken on the increment, The Head of Commercial, Aero, Robert Prophet said the changes are aimed at encouraging passengers to shift to online transactions, rather than on the cumbersome and burdensome form of transactions at the airline's booking counters.
Meanwhile, buying excess baggage voucher online still remains the same price of NGN100 per kilogramme.
The Head of Commercial, Aero, Robert Prophet said “The changes are aimed at encouraging passengers to shift to online transactions.”