Defence
THE National Hydrographic Agency (NHA) says that the upcoming upgrade to the Naval Navigation System will not only improve navigation but also affects Nigeria’s economy positively.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHA, Rear Adm. Olumide Fadahunsi, said this during an interactive session with newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.
Fadahunsi had earlier revealed that there would be a massive upgrade in Nigeria’s Navigation System into the S100 system in commemoration of the World Hydrography Day (WHD).
According to him improved hydrography translates to better charts, and when Nigeria’s waters are better charted, navigation safety is improved which translates to easier facilitation of high time trade.
“For every centimetre a vessel goes deeper into the water, it is able to carry on the average 120 tonnes.
“If our waters are better charted, mariners and shipping companies will have more confidence and go deeper,” he said.
The NHA chief executive officer said that there would be a conference in commemoration of the WHD on June 20 in Lagos.
He said the conference would bring together experts who would aspire to bounce ideas off each other on the issue of safety in backwaters.
He also said that the NHA was already engaging National Inland Waterways Authority(NIWA) on using charts to chart internal waters better and identify where there were risks and dangers to navigation.
“We are looking at the possibility of making these charts available and affordable for people that their livelihood depends on the water either via transportation or fishing, so they are certain of where to go and when to go,” he said.
Fadahunsi also said that the new system would aid the nation to save resources and reduce national overall expenditure over time once put in place and in full operation.
“We are looking to collaborate with other agencies that operate the water environment to share information with a view to minimising costs and maximising efficiency.
“Right now you can see different agencies surveying the same area. But if we can work together with the new system, such cases will seize to occur as there will be no need to survey the same area twice at the same time.
“If we are able to work together with government agencies and engage each other, we can share data and minimise cost and then the country saves resources, which will benefit Nigerians, the economy and the country at large,” he added.(NAN)
F.O
Tags: Hydrography