Lagos – Nigerian ship chandlers on Friday appealed to the Federal Government to enforce the patronage of local chandlers by vessels coming into the Nigerian ports.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT), Nigerian Ship Chandlers Association, Chief Joe Akerele, made the plea in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
A ship chandler is a merchant who deals in supplies for ships, including everything from cruise ships to oil tankers
According to Akerele, Nigerian ship chandlers are looking forward to a legislation that will ensure that vessels that come into the nation’s ports take their orders for stores and provisions from the local chandlers.
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“We want to collaborate with all maritime organisations and government agencies for good working relations.
“Nigerian ship chandlers should be patronised by off-shore maritime operators instead of foreign chandlers,’’ the chairman told NAN.
He also suggested that port concessionaires should collaborate with the ship chandlers.
Akerele noted that areas of friction between the chandlers, port concessionaires and other government agencies should be minimised.
NAN reports that over the years, Nigerian ship chandlers had expressed disaffection with the patronage of touts by foreign vessels coming into the Nigerian ports.
Local chandlers, in the past, had also frowned at the indiscriminate issuance of licences by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to non-professional chandlers. (NAN)