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Bankable Ships, Better Ports, Modern Laws: NMLA Convenes Lagos Summit to Chart Nigeria’s Path to Global Maritime Competitiveness
Bankable Ships, Better Ports, Modern Laws: NMLA Convenes Lagos Summit to Chart Nigeria’s Path to Global Maritime Competitiveness
NMLA’s 17th AGM Puts Finance, Port Concessions and Shipping Law Reform on the Table as Lawyers, Lenders and Regulators Meet in Lagos
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News | Lagos
The Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA) will bring lawyers, bankers, regulators and operators together in Lagos this Friday and Saturday, 13 and 14 November 2026. The occasion is its 17th Lecture and Annual General Meeting.
The two-day event takes place at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island. Its theme is “Positioning Nigeria for Global Maritime Competitiveness: Law, Policy and Practice”. It comes as industry players push for stronger regulation, more private investment and deeper structural reform.
NMLA President, Mike Igbokwe, SAN
Professor Bongo Adi of the Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, will deliver the keynote. He is Professor of Economics and Data Analytics there. His address is expected to frame the economic and policy case for a more efficient, attractive and globally competitive industry.
Three issues will dominate the programme: access to finance, port development and the modernisation of shipping laws.
Panel 1: “Bankability of the Nigerian Maritime Industry: What Do Lenders Really Want?” It will examine what operators must do to attract capital from financial institutions. Speakers are Moyomade Akinyosoye (Sterling Bank), Yewande Senbore (Olaniwun Ajayi LP), Ogonnaya Emele (Tetra Maritime Limited) and Chibueze Muobuikwu (First Bank of Nigeria Limited). Ugochukwu Eze, Managing Partner of EaglEx Law Practice, moderates.
Panel 2: “Port Concessions 2.0: Economic Regulation, Private Capital, and the Next Phase of Nigerian Port Development.” It will look at private investment, regulatory oversight and institutional accountability in the drive for more efficient ports. Speakers are Leonard Onoja (Nigerian Ports Authority), Ben Unaegbunam (Dentons ACAS-Law), Joy Bridget Dimka (Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency) and Olayinka Akinlade (APM Terminals). Tunji Adeyemi of Banwo & Ighodalo moderates.
Panel 3: “The Merchant Shipping Reset: Modernising Ship Registration, Liability, and Enforcement for a New Trade Era.” It will focus on updating shipping laws, strengthening ship registration and improving enforcement. Speakers are Victor Onyeagbado (Akabogu and Associates), Dianne Ndiomu (NIMASA) and Faridah Orimobi (LATC). Emeka Opara of Kenna moderates.
Organisers say the topics reflect linked challenges: inadequate financing, port inefficiencies and regulatory gaps. Predictable laws, effective institutions, investor confidence and modern infrastructure will matter as much as Nigeria’s coastline and market size.
Registration is open to members and non-members. Fees range from ₦195,000 to ₦450,000, depending on category and registration period. Details are at www.nmlang.com.
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A lawyers’ body with a reform agenda. This meeting follows a busy year for the NMLA under its president, Mike Igbokwe, SAN. He was elected president after the association’s 16th AGM on 15 November 2025. In July, he urged President Tinubu to speed up assent to the port regulatory bill, which had reached him twice. He argued that the law would strengthen the Shippers’ Council’s regulatory role, improve port operations and boost investor confidence. That makes the “Port Concessions 2.0” panel, with an NPERA representative on it, a useful test of how far implementation has moved from the statute book.
Laws on paper versus laws in force. In September, the NMLA gave the National Assembly a May 2027 deadline to clear pending maritime bills, and called for faster ratification and domestication of outstanding maritime treaties. Igbokwe also listed the Cabotage Act 2003, the Merchant Shipping Act 2007 and the SPOMO Act 2019 among Nigeria’s core maritime laws.
The “Merchant Shipping Reset” session fits that argument: the Merchant Shipping Act is almost two decades old, and ship registration and enforcement are where Nigeria’s reform talk is most often tested.
The bankability question hits home on the waterways. The finance panel asks what lenders really want. For Nigerian shipowners, the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) has been a long-running disappointment. For the small-scale and informal operators on inland waterways, represented by groups such as WABOTAN and ATBOWATON, formal credit is still largely out of reach. They rarely have the collateral, documentation or registered assets that banks demand. If the conference produces a lender’s checklist, the test is whether it works for the boat operator in Ikorodu or Makoko, not only for the offshore vessel owner.
What to watch:
Whether regulators on the port panel commit to timelines for economic regulation and concession renewals.
Whether NIMASA’s panellist addresses delays on ship registration and enforcement reform.
Whether any resolutions reach the National Assembly’s pending maritime bills.
Whether inland waterway financing is raised at all.
Waterways News will follow the proceedings.
Maritime Labour and Trade Union
MWUN Seals Improved Pay Deal for LTT Towage Workers, Third Major CBA Review in Three Months
MWUN Seals Improved Pay Deal for LTT Towage Workers, Third Major CBA Review in Three Months
Union says the agreement reflects its drive to secure better welfare for members at companies serving the NPA
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has signed an upward review of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) covering workers of LTT Coastal and Marine Services Ltd, the private firm that provides towage, mooring and pilot transport services to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
The signing took place on Monday, November 9. It was done by MWUN President General Comrade Francis Abi Bunu, the NPA Branch of the union led by Comrade Ajayi Bamidele Alex, and LTT management, represented by General Manager Capt. Liav Zilberman. The agreement now goes to management for implementation.
The union said the deal shows its commitment to workers’ welfare and to ensuring that maritime workers’ sacrifices are properly recognised and rewarded.
Bunu praised LTT’s Managing Director, Hilik Kalusky, as a man who keeps his word. He said the union expects more from him, adding that the union “will never disappoint him.”
The LTT agreement follows two other recent deals. In September 2026, MWUN signed a CBA with Julius Berger Nigeria Plc at its Lagos office, with the company’s team led by its Warri General Manager, Capt. Rainer Jensch. In August 2026, the union and the NPA Senior Staff Union signed a CBA with Lekki Freeport Terminal (LFT) that raised salaries and allowances by up to 150 per cent. It also improved overtime, weekend, public holiday, transport, feeding, housing, utility and hazardous allowances.
Bunu said these outcomes show what genuine negotiation and dialogue can achieve when workers’ welfare is at the centre.
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Three agreements, one pattern. In three months, MWUN has moved from the LFT terminal deal in August to the Julius Berger agreement in September and now LTT’s towage workforce. That pushes the union’s wage agenda beyond terminals into marine services that keep NPA channels working.
The numbers are missing. Neither the union nor the company has disclosed the size of the LTT increase or which allowances change. Unlike the LFT deal, where the 150 per cent figure was public, the extent of this review is unclear. Workers and industry observers will want those details.
Signing is not delivery. The agreement is for implementation “by management.” Waterways News will keep watching whether the new rates reach pay slips, given the long gap in the sector between agreements and what workers actually receive. MWUN has had to press other employers, including Sea Transport Manning Services Ltd in 2025, over expired or unsigned CBAs.
Why it matters for the NPA ecosystem. Towage, mooring and pilot transport are critical to vessel turnaround at Nigerian ports. Stable, fairly paid crews support safety and efficiency, which the NPA and shipping lines both depend on.
The wider question. Organised workers at ports, terminals and marine service firms are getting formal wage reviews. The informal inland waterway operators and boat crews we cover have no such protection, and that contrast remains part of this publication’s accountability agenda.
NIWA, Bangladesh Open Talks on Dredging, Boat-Building and River Port Cooperation
Dhaka’s envoy offers technical expertise and training to unlock the potential of Nigeria’s inland waterways
By Raymond Gold | Waterways News
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has opened exploratory talks with Bangladesh on technical cooperation, infrastructure development and investment in inland water transport.
The talks followed a courtesy visit by Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Miah Mohammad Mainul Kabir, to NIWA’s liaison office in Abuja. The proposed partnership would cover dredging, river port development, boat construction, marine equipment manufacturing and the management of passenger ferry services.
NIWA’s Acting Managing Director and CEO, Malam Umar Yusuf Girei, said the visit was a chance to build stronger institutional ties between two countries with extensive inland waterways. He said Bangladesh has made real progress in turning its waterways into a major transport network. By his account, its roughly 24,000 kilometres of waterways carry more than 25 per cent of passenger traffic, along with millions of tonnes of cargo.
Girei said Nigeria has about 10,000 kilometres of inland waterways. The Rivers Niger and Benue are the main routes, giving navigable access to about 28 of the country’s 36 states. He said Bangladesh’s experience offers useful lessons as the Federal Government pushes to maximise the economic benefits of the sector.
He named three areas for possible cooperation:
dredging, channel maintenance and year-round navigability
development and management of river ports and jetties
passenger ferry systems
Kabir said Bangladesh could share its expertise in dredging, boat construction and marine equipment manufacturing. He also stressed capacity building, with training and retraining of the people who operate, maintain and manage inland water transport infrastructure.
Both sides said they hoped the visit would lead to concrete cooperation and lasting institutional partnerships. The discussions remain exploratory, and no agreement, timeline or funding commitment has been announced.
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Talk is cheap until there’s an MoU. Nigeria has had similar overtures from Bangladeshi diplomats before, including a 2022 visit to NIWA’s then leadership. Stakeholders will want to see a signed agreement, a work plan and funding, not another round of courtesy calls.
Mind the numbers. The 24,000 km figure is Girei’s. World Bank material on Bangladesh gives it as the total length of rivers, streams and canals, while the navigable network is far smaller, at roughly 3,800 to 3,900 km.
The real lesson from Dhaka is sustained dredging and terminal investment: the World Bank committed $360 million in 2016 for the Chittagong–Dhaka–Ashuganj corridor, and Bangladesh now plans to re-dredge nearly 8,000 km of waterways.
Boat-building matters for operators. Bangladesh’s offer on boat construction comes as NIWA pushes the wooden boat phase-out. Operators in WABOTAN, and ATBOWATON have long asked who will pay for compliant vessels and engines. Any technology transfer should include affordable, locally buildable designs and financing for small operators, not only large-scale shipyards.
Jurisdiction. Ports, jetties and ferry systems sit where NIWA and LASWA have clashed since the Supreme Court ruling. Any partnership needs clear mandates, or the gains will be lost to turf disputes.
The people side. Training and retraining should reach boat drivers, engineers and jetty managers, not just agency staff.
Maritime Security and Safety
IMO Boss Demands Crackdown on False Flags, Substandard Ships as Hormuz Seafarer Death Toll Hits 25
IMO Boss Demands Crackdown on False Flags, Substandard Ships as Hormuz Seafarer Death Toll Hits 25
Arsenio Dominguez Tells Governments to Enforce Safety Rules as Rogue Vessels Add to Seafarers’ Peril
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, has called on governments to enforce international shipping regulations more strictly in the Strait of Hormuz. He warned that unsafe operating practices are adding to the dangers already facing seafarers in the conflict zone.
In a statement on Wednesday, Dominguez said some vessels are transiting the waterway without meeting basic safety requirements, including those under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
The IMO has verified 133 incidents involving merchant ships since the conflict began on 28 February. As of 10 November, these incidents had killed 25 seafarers, with others injured or missing. The latest death followed an attack on the tanker M/T VELOS SAPPHIRE in the Strait on 5 November.
Dominguez singled out four practices: the use of substandard vessels, the concealment of IMO identification numbers, fraudulent ship registrations and false flags. He said they weaken maritime safety and make it harder to protect lives at sea.
“IMO’s technical and operational regulations are there to protect seafarers, ships and the marine environment,” he said. “They must be respected and enforced effectively.”
He urged flag, port and coastal states to act against violations within their jurisdictions, in line with international law. He also asked shipowners and operators to avoid commercial activity that exposes crews to unacceptable risk.
The statement follows the IMO Council session in London from 2 to 6 November. There, member states condemned attacks on merchant shipping and called for stronger protection of seafarers and for safe, uninterrupted navigation through vital international waterways. The IMO has also flagged a rise in piracy and armed robbery in the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, with 17 attempted or actual incidents recorded since the start of 2026.
Dominguez renewed calls for a political resolution and for restoring a safe, internationally recognised framework for navigation through the Strait. He warned that the effects reach beyond shipping, threatening global trade and raising living costs for millions. “It is imperative for Governments to tackle the root causes of this conflict,” he said.
NIGERIA WATCH
Why this matters at home. Dominguez’s call to flag, port and coastal states lands squarely on Nigeria. It is an IMO Council member and a coastal state with its own flag, registry and port state control obligations. The concealed IMO numbers and false flags he described are the same grey-market tactics that make weak enforcement dangerous everywhere, including in Gulf of Guinea waters.
Council credibility is tested. Nigeria used the 138th Council session to press seafarer welfare and maritime security. A statement from the IMO’s own chief now puts the question of enforcement, not just advocacy, in front of every Council member.
Stakeholders should expect pressure on regulators like NIMASA to show that port state control inspections, ship registration vetting and flag state oversight are tight.
The cost reaches Nigerian shippers. The Hormuz crisis keeps driving up war-risk insurance, freight rates and cargo uncertainty. Importers and shippers already carrying those costs deserve clarity from NIMASA, the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Authority and the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy on what is being done to cushion them.
Nigerian seafarers are exposed too. Nigerians crew foreign-flagged vessels, and the question of who protects them when ships operate outside the rules cannot be left to shipowners alone.
The accountability question. Nigeria’s maritime leadership has been vocal at global forums. The test is whether that voice is matched by visible enforcement on Nigerian waters, where the same loopholes the IMO describes can be exploited.
Waterways News will keep tracking whether talk at the IMO becomes action at home.
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