Ship owners have decried the huge financial losses which they have incurred while trying to secure the release of their vessels and crews impounded in Nigerian waters over drug-related offences.
To this end, they urged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to consider reviewing its stance when drugs were found on board ships, insisting that ship owners in most drug bursts did not have any connection to the importation of the drugs.
This was canvassed in a paper presented by Mr Suresh Prabhakar, Director, Operations, Pacific Basin Shipping Limited, Hong Kong, at a maritime security conference organised by the Maritime Security Providers Association of Nigeria (MASPAN) and the Alumni of Maritime Academy of Nigeria (AMANO) in Lagos on Thursday.
The event, with the theme: “Drugs & Human Smuggling/Trafficking: The Evolving Maritime Security Threats to Ships and Seafarers”, had in participation an array of maritime practitioners and security experts.
Suresh, in his presentation, said that from February, 2021, to July, 2024, a troubling trend emerged in Lagos, Nigeria, as four bulk carriers laden with sugar from Santos, Brazil, became embroiled in drug-related incidents that had had far-reaching consequences for both the ship owners and the crew members.
He said each of the ships was found to have significant quantities of cocaine on board, ranging from 18 to 43 kilogrammes, leading to prolonged detention by NDLEA.
He said each ship faced delays of four to six months while investigations were carried out, only to be released after the owners posted substantial bonds ranging from $2m to $5m.
He stated that on average, 10 crew members per ship were detained and their bail set at $40,000 per person, advising that they should be allowed to stay in hotels instead of detention facilities.
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