Capt Ade Olopoenia Calls for Establishment Of Merchant Navy Training Board to Combat Seafarer Certification, Placement Crisis

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The establishment of a Merchant Navy Training Board has been re-emphasized as a critical solution to the pervasive issues of inadequate seafarer certification and lack of onboard training opportunities in Nigeria.

Captain Ade Olopoenia, former President of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM), made this call during a high-level interactive session at the inaugural Mariners Forum and launch of the Waterside Centre in Apapa last week.

Olopoenia highlighted a troubling trend, asserting that many Nigerian ship captains and seafarers lack the fundamental Officer of the Watch (OOW) certification, which he considers the foundational qualification.

“Many captains today do not have the OOW, and to me, that is the basis of where you start,” he stated, adding that while some may possess higher certificates, but they do not have the relevant certificates.

Crucially, Olopoenia clarified that the problem isn’t necessarily with the training schools, but rather with the acute shortage of opportunities for cadets to gain vital practical experience onboard ships.
“There are so many of them (seafarers) wondering around, some of them schooled abroad and could not get placement onboard,” he lamented.

To address this systemic issue, Olopoenia recalled a comprehensive report from many years ago by a Ministry of Transportation committee, of which he was a part. This committee specifically recommended the creation of a Merchant Navy Training Board.

According to the Master Mariner, this proposed body would be a collaborative effort involving shipowners, seafarers, and the government, ensuring that the interests and working conditions of seafarers serving on vessels are properly managed and understood by all stakeholders, particularly shipowners.

While acknowledging the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency’s (NIMASA) efforts through its National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), Olopoenia raised a significant concern regarding its long-term impact.

“If we want to really do a census of that programme, how many of these cadets have risen to Class 1 certification in the past ten to fifteen years? It is a big problem.”

He concluded by underscoring the most pressing challenge facing Nigerian seafarers today: “When seafarers go to school and finish, there is no ship for them to work on, this is a bigger challenge Nigeria is having now.” Captain Olopoenia stated.