Hydrographic knowledge key to maritime operations - Usman

Lagos -- The Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, has commenced the verification of its pensioners with a view to ascertaining how many are alive or dead.

The authority has also concluded plans to take the verification exercise to homes of disabled retirees so as to save them the stress of coming to venues of the exercise.

Speaking to newsmen, the President of the Nigerian Ports Authority Pensioners Welfare Association, Comrade Ali Umoru, said that the nationwide exercise will be concluded before the end of this year.

Umoru also said that about 9,800 retirees have been penciled down for the exercise.

He explained that phase one of the exercise has been

Lagos -- The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, has said that well-charted territorial waters through hydrographic exercise will enhance the nation’s maritime operation.

Speaking at this year’s World

Hydrographic Day held at the Naval Dockyard in Lagos, Bala Usman called for a greater synergy among stakeholders with the view to achieving a holistic Nigerian Maritime Space Chart in the least possible time, noting that about 80 percent of the nation’s territorial waters was yet to be surveyed whilst 90 percent was yet to be charted, going by recent data.

She commended the Nigerian Navy for taking the lead in producing the first navigational chart of the Nigerian waters.

She also noted that efficient management of the maritime environment calls for knowledge and professionalism in order to evolve strategies that would secure and regulate activities in the sector for proper conservation and sustainable use and exploitation of the resources.

Bala Usman, who also said that the selected theme of “Hydrographic Information to Drive Marine Knowledge” could not have been more appropriate for the event, added that without the basic information as provided by hydrography details, it would be difficult, or nearly impossible to acquire the necessary knowledge for exploration and exploitation of the maritime environment.