NIGERIA's waters have become a dumping ground for shipwrecks and unserviceable vessels abandoned by local and international shipping companies, posing a safety hazard and threatening the livelihoods of local fishermen.
Abandoned cargo ships and fishing boats also float freely or lay submerged on parts of the coastline. Environmental groups say their numbers run into the thousands in Nigeria's territorial waters, reported Germany's Deutsche Welle.
A quick boat ride into the Atlantic Ocean from Irede, on the outskirts of the city of Lagos, reveals the extent of the problem. Abandoned vessels dot the ocean, some visible only as chunks of rusty metal protruding from the water.
'They constitute a lot of problems to us, they affect navigation in the water because of most the time some are large chunks of metal or rusty metal that was moved here from another place,' said Irede Community Developers Association chief Raymond Gold.
'The small boats that the residents use could just run into them and it could cause a lot of damage and threats to human life. We have had fishermen come to complain that the shipwrecks are making it difficult for them to fish in the waters.'
There is mounting concern over the frequency at which unseaworthy and unserviceable ships are being dumped in Nigeria's territorial waters.
The owners of unserviceable ships are believed to find it more convenient to dump them in Nigeria rather than properly dispose them off. Master mariner, captain Ezekiel Ishola, says legal bureaucracy sometimes prevents authorities from clearing the wrecks.
'If they don't declare them as wrecks nobody can touch those ships. Yes, because they have owners,' Mr Ishola was quoted as saying.
'So, if the Nigerian Port Authority or Customs want to handle these vessels now they must give notice that are going to take care of these ships since they have become a danger to navigation - otherwise the shipowner can come and sue.'
Prosecutions for abandoned vessels never occur and responsibility for removing the wrecks usually falls to the government. The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has warned the local and international shipping community of sanctions in the event of an abandon vessel in Nigeria's territory.
Abandoned cargo ships and fishing boats also float freely or lay submerged on parts of the coastline. Environmental groups say their numbers run into the thousands in Nigeria's territorial waters, reported Germany's Deutsche Welle.
A quick boat ride into the Atlantic Ocean from Irede, on the outskirts of the city of Lagos, reveals the extent of the problem. Abandoned vessels dot the ocean, some visible only as chunks of rusty metal protruding from the water.
'They constitute a lot of problems to us, they affect navigation in the water because of most the time some are large chunks of metal or rusty metal that was moved here from another place,' said Irede Community Developers Association chief Raymond Gold.
'The small boats that the residents use could just run into them and it could cause a lot of damage and threats to human life. We have had fishermen come to complain that the shipwrecks are making it difficult for them to fish in the waters.'
There is mounting concern over the frequency at which unseaworthy and unserviceable ships are being dumped in Nigeria's territorial waters.
The owners of unserviceable ships are believed to find it more convenient to dump them in Nigeria rather than properly dispose them off. Master mariner, captain Ezekiel Ishola, says legal bureaucracy sometimes prevents authorities from clearing the wrecks.
'If they don't declare them as wrecks nobody can touch those ships. Yes, because they have owners,' Mr Ishola was quoted as saying.
'So, if the Nigerian Port Authority or Customs want to handle these vessels now they must give notice that are going to take care of these ships since they have become a danger to navigation - otherwise the shipowner can come and sue.'
Prosecutions for abandoned vessels never occur and responsibility for removing the wrecks usually falls to the government. The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has warned the local and international shipping community of sanctions in the event of an abandon vessel in Nigeria's territory.