LAGOS, JUNE 30, 2016 – A Mariner, Capt. Folarin Ojutalayo, said on Thursday that maritime transport engaged by volume, 90 per cent of world trade and over 70 per cent by value.
Ojutalayo stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.
According to the mariner, an estimated annual figure of over 12 billion tonnes of cargoes, representing 90 per cent of world trade is carried by seafarers through ships.
“If this is the case, about 1.6 million seafarers service 90 per cent of the needs of about 7.5 billion persons on the globe,’’ he said.
The mariner said that maritime transport was the backbone of international trade as well as the global economy.
Ojutalayo said that the immense contribution of the maritime sector had brought the stability of the world economy, adding that the actualisation of the present globalisation could not be underestimated.
“Long before the existence of planes, e-mails, cell phones and other modern technology, our world was already being globalised by ships manned by resilient men and women of maritime industry.
“Without seafarers, the importation and exportation of goods and services on the scale necessary to sustain our modern world would not be possible.
“In fact, without maritime transportation and seafarers, it is believed that half of the world would freeze and the other half would starve,”he said.
He said that one could look around and note that majority of what would either be seen or using, were imported from various countries.
The mariner said that human component was most essential to maritime transport, adding that for sustainability of shipping, seafarers risked their lives to ensure the lifeline of global economy never ceased running.
Ojutalayo said that there was need for proper funding for the training and welfare of Nigerian seafarers.
He pleaded that the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), should ensure that their employers placed seafarers on pension and provide other benefits.
Ojutalayo said that in spite of challenges facing the seafarers in Nigeria, they (seafarers) were still putting their best in making sure that they support the economic growth and sustainable development of the nation.
