The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has extended the Service Boat Operations contract it had with Intels Nigeria Limited with immediate effective, according to a letter dated 30th November 2023 and sighted by the magazine.
The letter addressed to all shipping companies through the Berthing Committee Meeting and signed by Charles B. Okaga, the Port Manager of Lagos Port Complex, NPA said it was directed by a presidential directive on 18th August 2023 coupled with a consent judgment of the Federal High Court made on 21st September 2023 to renew the expired contract for the Lagos Pilotage District.
The letter to shipping lines further stated that “Further to the above and to support the Authority’s and the Federal Government’s drive to increase revenue generation from the Service Boat Operations, Messrs. Intels Nigeria Ltd has been directed to resume services immediately.
“This is in line with the extended contract contained in the Managing Agency Agreement conveying the scope of Service, in addition to the obligation to the Agent.
“Consequences upon the above, you are hereby directed to ensure that Intels Nigeria Ltd is allowed unrestricted access to information to pilotage movement and to be provided with assistance to successfully commence operations as the Authority’s Managing Agent on Service Boat Operations in the Lagos Pilotage District,” the letter stated.
The contract details were not released as at press time although industry sources confirm that in practice users of service boats in the pilotage district were mandated to pay NPA the accruing fees through Intels.
According to information from NPA website, the contract procedure involves Intels collecting Master Declaration from NPA Harbours Department to capture the movement of Service Boats, Rigs, Tugs and Work Barges all of 10 GRT and above within the pilotage district which are then submitted to the Authority’s Tariff & Billing Department to raise Compulsory Pilotage Bills in the name of Intels payable by the Service Boat Agents within Five (5) working days from the date of receiving the bill.
A former managing director of the NPA, Hadiza Usman, had accounted that for previous years the remittance of huge sums of the collected revenue into NPA accounts by Intels was in arrears and the dispute over its clearance led to both litigation and interventions by the Presidency as the contract was not renewed when it expired in 2017.