NPA, has said that the process leading to the award of the contract
for cargo survey was ongoing, but three months behind scheduled commencement of
the contract.
The last contract expired last December but the old contract had
to be rolled over until a new contract is in place.
Accoding to the vanguardngr report, the Acting Head of
the Procurement Department of the Authority, Barth Nwaiwu, said the process
would soon be completed. Pressed further for information on the state of the new
contract, Nwaiwu declined to comment adding that the head of the department was
on leave and asked our reporter to wait until he resumes.
However, a
source at NPA told Vanguard that existing contractors are working against the
smooth completion of the process because they are worried that they may not get
re-appointed.
Meanwhile,
Cargo Survey Practitioners, CSP, have decried the working condition of its
members under the existing contract, even as they called on the NPA to quickly
conclude the process to prevent job loss.
CSP inspects
cargoes of seagoing vessels to certify compliance with national and
international health and safety regulations in cargo handling and stowage. They
also read vessel documents that set forth cargo loading and securing procedures,
capacities, and stability factors to ascertain cargo capabilities, according to
design and cargo regulations.
CSP noted that
they are not properly remunerated and that their salaries are not being paid as
at when due.
In a statement
signed by the spokesperson, Peter Ebong, the cargo surveyors noted that the
incumbent cargo survey contractors have not increased their salaries in the
last five years of operations even as the exchange rate increases have resulted
in higher revenue for the contractors.
The CSP
stated: “Some of the incumbent cargo survey contractors owe their staff between
five months to one year. The survey contractors did not train their staff
during the five years of their operations.”
They cautioned
that the incumbent contractors should not be allowed to influence or delay the
process of ensuring that the right firms are selected for the job while
advising those coming in to engage the services of professionals.
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