Lagos — Following the brazenness at which vessels operating in Nigeria's coastal water broke the nation's laws, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has arrested and currently detaining two vessels for non-compliance of the Cabotage Act.

Disclosing this to Vanguard in Lagos recently, the Director-General of the Maritime Regulatory Agency (MRA), Dr Ade Dosunmu said that the vessels were arrested and detained for not complying with the Nigerian Merchant Shipping Act.

He also said that the vessels will remain in the custody of the organisation until every unlawful aspect of them must have been perfected.

The Agency boss told Vanguard that the move to detain these vessels is to send a signal to other vessels who are thinking they can break the country's laws and get away with it.

The ships, whose origin Vanguard could not immediately ascertain are said to be tanker vessels

The detained vessels, 'M. .T' Jackson12' and 'M.T Jackson 36' were arrested at the Port Harcourt axis of Nigeria 's coastal line.

It would be recalled that indigenous ship owners despite the Shipping Merchant Act, are still complaining about foreign dominance of Nigeria 's coastal trade.

While the Indigenous Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (ISAN) are blaming NIMASA for not being proactive in the implementation of the Cabotage law, the foreign ship owners operating in the country's waters are cornering all the businesses in this sector of the nation's economy.

Speaking to Vanguard on the plight of indigenous shipping operators, the President of the Indigenous Ship Owner Association of Nigeria, Chief Isaac Jolapamo said before the promulgation of the Cabotage Act, he had more vessels and was doing better than now that he is expected to do much more better.

He was of the opinion that the law has brought more hardship on local ship operators, as the foreign operators are still getting the contract of carriage.

Besides, the local seafarers have not fared better most of the vessels operating on Nigerian coastal waters are manned by foreigners.

There are over five thousand vessels currently operating on the nation's coastal trade employing about one hundred thousand seafarers, ninety percent of whom are foreigners.

Although, the Act provides for the provision of foreigners only where there are no Nigerian to fill such vacancy or do any of such work.