MWUN to NPA: Name IOCs complying with Marine Notice 106 of 2014

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By Victor Ahiuma-Young

After a protracted battle by the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, to ensure that the International Oil Companies, IOCs, comply with the provisions of Government Marine Notice 106 of 2014, and allow Stevedoring contractors deploy Dockworkers into their platforms, indications have emerged that the IOCs are already complying with the directives.

In fact, there is ongoing deployment of stevedoring contractors to IOCs platforms and private jetties by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA.


The government Marine Notice 106 applies to all companies and persons engaged in Stevedoring work, including Dock Labour Employers and Private Operators of any work location including Ports, Jetties, Onshore or Offshore Oil and Gas or Bonded Terminals, Inland Container Depots (ICDS), off Dock Terminal, Dry Ports and Platforms.Specifically, “Paragraph 3 of the referred Government Marine Notice stipulates that: “All operators of Ports, Jetties, Onshore or Offshore, Oil and Gas or Bonded Terminals, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), Offshore Dock Terminals, Dry Ports and Platforms and other work locations are hereby given the notice to grant duly appointed Stevedoring Companies access to their premises to commence operations. It is regretted to report that the IOCs have refused to comply with said Government Marine Notice 106, since 2014 when it was issued.

The non-compliance of the notice had been a source of disagreement and fight between the IOCs and MWUN.Among others, MWUN had called on Ministry of Transportation, NPA, and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, to implement its Act, as it affects the establishment of jetties with a view to ensuring that registered dockworkers are engaged there.

It appears the issue is being resolved amicably going by the words of the President-General of MWUN, Prince Adewale Adeyanju who confirmed the deployment of the stevedoring contractors to ensure engagement of Dockworkers and more revenue for the Federal Government.

While urging NPA to come up with list of IOC’s that have complied with the stevedoring extant laws, Adeyanju informed that ExxonMobil, Texaco, and other multinationals had engaged the stevedoring contractors appointed by NPA and the employment level is now better than before.

According to him, “We have been talking about NPA not being visible in all jetties and the need for them to extend their scope of operations to these areas. Recently, about two weeks ago, the NPA has sent stevedoring contractors to all these jetties, we are about to see something better that would accommodate more of the workers.

“If you do not have stevedoring contractors at these jetties, who would do the jobs? Who collects the revenue?

“Now that NPA has woken up from its slumber by appointing stevedoring contractors through the office of the Minister of Transportation, all our noise on the matter has started yielding results.”