Shipside Drydock Limited has restated its intention to change the narrative in Nigeria’s maritime industry with its quality and prompt delivery of projects, as against the notion that Nigeria’s drydock sector is incapacitated by various challenges which has prevented it from contributing to the nation’s economy.
It intends to achieve this through the strides it made with the provision of a viable drydock – local ship maintenance and repairs – in Okirika Creek, Port Harcourt, and has an army of satisfied customers that brings in referrals for continuous business growth.
The Deputy Managing Director (DMD) and Business Lead, Shipside Drydock Limited, Sunday Esezobor said that referrals from satisfied clients that are impressed by its quality and timely project delivery has propelled the company to market leadership position within its seven years of operation.
Shipside Drydock has serviced over 400 vessels since it began operation in August 2015, and its state-of-the-art workshop with 5000 tonnes capacity floating dock has positioned it, not only to be a leader in the maritime sector of the Nigerian market but is now the West Africa dry docking hub for ship repairs and maintenance.
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He stated this at the media roundtable with select reporters, where he explored the economic impact of Shipside Drydock, an indigenous company with 96 percent of its workforce being Nigerians in a boost to local content and economic growth of the country. Shipside Drydock is a subsidiary of the Nestoil Group, the local content champion of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
According to him, with a committed and dedicated workforce the priority is placed on welfare, stakeholder management, and company culture where the customer is king.
He said, ‘’Our growth is also attributed to the vision of our founder and Chairman, Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi who took steps to reduce the nightmares ship owners go through by investing millions in the eight different workshops at our floating dock in the heart of the Niger Delta where we repair and maintain vessels for different clients.
‘’At our floating dock, ship owners do not have to go abroad as we have the expertise and capacity to serve them. This will not only grow the industry but also save foreign exchange (FX) for the country that could be used to develop other sectors begging for growth.’’
Esezobor said the sector has the potential to create more jobs if spare parts and steel are available and the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) are encouraged to set up shop in the country. This, he said, will reduce capital flights as the maritime players will stop going abroad for maintenance and repairs of their ships, vessels, and the scarce FX will be channeled to other areas of economic importance.
Looking towards the future, he said they are poised to be the dry docking hub in Africa with their exceptional service delivery as their intent is to have capable artisans – welders, fitters, etc that could display expertise. This he asserted will be a great economic advantage to the country as more revenue will be earned.
For the industry to maintain its upward growth trajectory, he called on the government to enforce regulations to ensure the quality of projects done in the sector, and also see to it that the various charges placed on ship owners are minimised as they struggle to pay the different regulatory bodies.
