In the News:
On the trail of sand: A special focus on the Ikorodu axis.
Sand, as always, is the fulcrum of development in the current frenzy of civil works around the country. In Lagos, it is probably the first time that so many huge projects…new roads, upgrades, housing and estates in Lekki and other new towns, bridges, jetties, free trade zones in and around the former federal capital, etc… are competing for the available quantity of sand in supply. A 13-ton truck load of sharp sand bought from an Ikorodu sand dump at about N21,000.00 and ferried many miles away to the Lekki axis is sold as 20-tons by the truck drivers at a price of N75,000.00. And the market is buying the deal, albeit grudgingly. Read More...
Lagos sand dredging dispute: Politics of resource control, ethnic replacement or both?
The Lagos State Government has again moved against proprietors of dredging operations in Lagos according to a release from Stakeholders of Sand Dredgers in Lagos State. This time the axis that got attention was Ikorodu. All dredging sites in the Owode Ilaje area of Ibeshe (Igbogbo Baiyeku Local Government Area) were visited with a stop work order and closed down by a Special Task Force from the Lagos State Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development beginning Tuesday May 5, 2009. On the first day ...Read More
LOCAL PORT AND MARITIME NEWS HEADLINES
Warri Port: NPA to commence Escravos break water, channel dredging in 2009
As part of measures to reactivate the presently dormant port in the oil rich town of Warri, the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has completed plans to commence work on the repairs of Escravos break water and the dredging of the channel in 2009. Disclosing this recently, the Managing Director of NPA, Malllam Abdul Salam Mohammed, said that by next year the authority would commence the process for getting the necessary technical drawings for the break water. Read More...
Effects of Port Congestion and Strikes on Nigeria's economy
The recurrence of port congestion has been with Nigeria now for many years, including the early 1970s incident called the “Cement Armada”, when over four hundred and fifty ships laden with imported cement and general goods were stranded at Lagos anchorage awaiting berthing spaces for months on end. Some of those ships ended up waiting 180 or more days before setting on their way and freight surcharges ranging from 30% to 100% were incurred by many parties. As some of us can recall, the congestion of those days led to the appointment of the first port commandant of Nigerian Ports in the person of Brigadier Benjamin alias Black Scorpion, who tried to bring some order out of a huge chaos. Read More...
Picture Highlights of the PH Dredging and Mining Technical Workshop 2008.
AFRICAN PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT DIGEST:
Stolen CAT D6K Found by Interpol Thanks to Installed GPS
Following the discovery of the theft of its recently purchased Caterpillar ® D6K track-type tractor from a site in Essex, UK, at midnight on 14th of February, Sewells Reservoir Construction ltd (SRC), operations manager, Oli Rees immediately contacted local Caterpillar dealer Finning’s out of hours service and support team. Thanks to Product Link on the stolen machine, the team at Finning was able to use the GPS technology within the Product Link system to track the unit’s movements. Read More...
ENERGY:
Nigerian Oil and Gas Mining Report
How Oil Sector Reforms will work.
The Bayelsa State branch of the Maritime Workers Union (MWU) said in January that rampaging soldiers of the Joint (Military) Task Force (JTF) on the Niger Delta killed over 90 persons and destroyed over 300 boats along the creeks and rivers of Bayelsa State in 2008 and called for the payment of compensation to affected families. Read More...
INTERNATIONAL DREDGING BRIEFS
Belgium sends expert team to negotiate release of dredger
Associated Press (AP) reports that the Belgian government has sent a team of experts to east Africa to try to speed the release of a Belgian dredger and its 10-man crew captured last week by Somali pirates.
Belgium's Interior Minister Guido De Padt said he expects the pirates will seek negotiations on a ransom with the Belgian companies that own the ship, Pompei.....Read More
NIGERIAN DREDGING & TRANSPORTATION DIGEST
Transport Minister Lists Gains of River Niger Dredging as States Give Approval.
With these words the Transport Minister, Alhaji Ibrahim Bio, summed up the many benefits of dredging the River Niger from Baro to Warri. He was speaking at an interactive meeting between him and transport commissioners from Delta, Edo, Niger, Imo, Kogi, Rivers and Bayelsa states in Abuja in May. The parley was to facilitate the needed approval of the project from the states to be impacted by the 572 kilometres ...Read More...
