Port Operations (Marine) By NPA

Procedure for Shipping Agent:

1. Shipping agents apply and obtain Ship Entry Notice (SEN) from the operations departmentin the zone. Electronicversion of the SEN is now accessible to customers by logging into NPA portal www.nigeriaports.org.
2. Shipping agent obtains Rotation Number for the vessel from Customs.
3. Shipping agent submits manifest and all applicable documents (such as stowage plan) etc. to Control Office for Planning and Information (COPI) in Operations Department in the port.
4. The manifest is submitted days before the ship arrival depending on the vessels status and there is penalty for late submission.
5. Shipping agent declares the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) and Estimated Time of Departure ETD at the Berthing Meeting.
6. Commercial department retains a copy of the bill in the ship’s folder and distributes other copies: (Original copy to the shipping Agent, copies to the Account Department and Statistics Department).
7. Shipping Agent settles the bill using the electronic platform and proceeds to obtain receipt of payment from the Chief Port Accountant.
8. Shipping Agent applies to the Port Manager for berthing of the vessel having made payment.
9. Signal Station calls the vessel to obtain certain particulars(Cargo type and volume, last port of call, draft of the vessel, LOA, GRT, NRT, DWT etc. for documentation.
10. Signal station advises the vessel to proceed to the anchorage position.
11. Harbour Master makes arrangement to bring the vessel to berth by arranging for pilotage, towage and mooring of the Vessel.
12. Harbour Master assigns a Pilot for the vessel within 30 minutes from the time of arrival of the vessel at the fairway buoy and or availability of berthing space whichever one is later. The Pilot immediately upon being assigned to a vessel shall communicate with the vessel and proceed to and arrive the fairway buoynot later thanone hourfrom being assigned to a vessel. The pilot shall upon arriving the fairway buoy, boardand take her to the allocated berth not later than one hour in Lagos, five hoursin Bonny, six hours in Calabar and Warri pilotage district from time of arriving the fairway buoy.
13. Pilot and Master exchange information regarding the pilot plans (Number of tugs, tidal condition, allocated berth, order of mooring lines arrangement. Master informs pilot of type of vessel (right or left handed, condition of engine, stopping distance of the vessel, behaviours of the vessel etc.).

Pilot issues blank Inward Master’s Declaration and Pilotage Chits to Master for completion. Master gives to Pilot a Pilot Card for completion.

Master completes the Inward Master’s Declaration and Pilotage Chit and returns same to the Pilot, while the Pilot returns the completed Pilot card to the Master.

Pilot communicates to the Tug Master to proceed to a suitable location to couple with the vessels while the mooring men should proceed to the allocated berth and wait to receive the vessel.

No Pilot/Assistant or Captain of a tug boat, crew or any person working with them shall whilst on duty be found with any item, material, equipment or monies not required directly for carrying out their functions.

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Procedure for Joint Boarding of Ships for Rummading - for Port Authorities:

NPA shall bus-in and bus-out members of the Port Joint Ship Boarding Team/Gang

Following notification as in section 2.2 (xviii) above, all designated officers from Agencies required to board a ship shall be at the notified location not later than 30minutes before the time for commencement of joint recognized manning agencies.

Before commencement of joint boarding, every member of the joint boarding team representing an Agency shall declare by way of a specific designed form to an officer appointed by the NPA every material, objects,

equipment, cash, documentation or any other item or description whatsoever in their possession, including their identification card and shall not proceed to board the ship or disembark therefrom with any item not required for ship boarding and operation on board.

At the ship side, the Port Health Officer shall first board the ship and certify same to be safe before other members of the Team board.

Ship boarding shall not last more than 90 minutes except the relevant personnel of the Joint boarding have an established situation or incidence that requires to be investigated on board. In this case, such personnel shall upon disembarking from the ship make a declaration in writing justifyingthe extra time spent on board.

Upon disembarkation, every boarding team shall declare by way of a specific designed form to an officer appointed the NPA every material, objects, equipment, cash, documentation or any other item or description whatsoever in their possession including their identification card.

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Sailing of Vessel - for Shipping Agents

Agent applies and obtains from the Port Manager a Sailing Certificate when the vessel is getting set to sail.

The Shipping Agent attaches the receipt of payment and the paid Provisional bill to his application for sailing of the vessel to the Port Manager.

Shipping Agent obtains the endorsed copy from the Port Manager’s Office.

The Shipping Agent concludes sailing arrangement with agencies such as Immigration, Terminal Operator and obtains sailing clearance from other Agencies such as NIMASA etc.

The Shipping agent proceeds to Harbour Master with copy of the Sailing Clearance Certificate to request for sailing of the vessel

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Voyage Reconciliation - for Shipping Agents

The Voyage Meeting shall be held in all Ports every Thursday, chaired by the Port Manager to discuss and plan voyages.

Relevant stakeholders shall attend the meeting.

The reconciliation is based on information derived from documents presented by the Shipping Agent report.

the Shipping Agent is expected to comply with all the steps enumerated above before the arrival of the vessel.

The documents tendered by the Shipping Agent as guide to the Commercial Department in simulating a provisional bill for the ship file only and not for settlement.

After the reconciliation, the Shipping Agent must settle thefinal bills in order to bring the credit balance back to the agreed amount.

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Ship Chandeling Services - for Captain/Shipping Company

No Captain or crews are permitted to take or supply any item from the general public except through licensed chandeliers.

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Accounts Department - Shipping Agent, Shipping Company or Consignee

• Shippers or shipping agents lodge their ships’ manifest with Commercial Department at the ports through Centraloffice of Planning and Information based on the ship’s manifest, 8 copies are prepared for this purpose.

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Documents Required for Auditing Provisional Bills - for Shipping Agents

• Original Manifest with rotation number
• Lloyds Register
• Nigerian Port Authority Dues and Rates Regulation
• Stowage Plan (Original)
• Ship Entry Notice (SEN)

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