The Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) has concluded plans to organize the 2025 edition of its annual maritime lecture tagged MAMAL.
Scheduled to hold on August 28, 2025 at the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, MAMAL which is in its third edition will spotlight the ongoing international fraud perpetuated by foreign shipping lines under the guise of “war risk premiums” on vessels calling at Nigerian ports.
MARAN which has been existing for over three decades and remains the umbrella body of journalists covering the maritime sector of the economy said this year edition is aimed at drawing the Federal Government’s urgent attention to the issue.
Speaking on the theme for MAMAL 2025 “Addressing the Burden of War Risk Insurance on Nigerian Maritime Trade”, the President of MARAN, Mr. Godfrey Bivbere said the association strongly condemned the war risk insurance.
While describing it as an international fraud burdening the economy of Nigeria and other developing countries in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), he averred that findings by the association have revealed that the extra war risk insurance (WRI) levied on Nigerian-bound vessels varies significantly.
“For instance, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) can incur a WRI surcharge of $445,000 per voyage, while a new container vessel may face a charge of $525,000 per voyage. Beyond this, some shipping companies, such as Maersk, have introduced additional fees like a transit disruption surcharge, and others impose a war risk surcharge of $40-$50 per 20-foot container”, he added.
According to him, MARAN contends that these exorbitant charges are further strangulating Nigeria’s already strained economy. Also, despite Nigeria’s Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, recently confirming that Nigeria has not recorded a single pirate incident in the past three years, the imposition of war risk premiums continues unabated.
Oyetola credits this peace in the GoG to the multi-billion naira deep blue project, a robust maritime security initiative spearheaded by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
MARAN argues that despite these commendable efforts by the Federal Government, the foreign shipping lines continue to unjustly extract millions of dollars from Nigerian ship owners in the name of war risk insurance premiums, even though there are no demonstrable risks in the region.
According to him, in March 2025, Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, met with a delegation from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Kristin Skov-Spilling, where he passionately appealed to the international community to acknowledge Nigeria’s significant progress in securing its waters. He emphasized the critical need for a corresponding reduction in war risk insurance costs.
In the words of the NIMASA helmsman, “The Nigerian government has demonstrated a strong commitment to maritime security, leading to nearly zero incidents of piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea over the past four years. Despite this, vessels coming to Nigeria continue to pay high war risk premium which is unjustifiable given the improved security landscape.”
Bivbere noted that the upcoming MAMAL Annual Maritime Lecture 2025 will unfold international shipping companies operating in Nigeria as they have shown “lackadaisical and complacent attitude towards the economic and social wellbeing of Nigeria as a nation.”
He explained that MAMAL 2025 will thoroughly examine the perceived threats, realities, and profound implications of persistent Extra War Risk Insurance (EWRI) on Nigeria’s maritime trade and the wider GoG.
Providing more details about the highly anticipated conference which has consistently served as a crucial rallying point for all maritime stakeholders due to MARAN’s respected voice, he added:
His words: “The summit will also explore issues leading to the classification of the nation’s waters as high-risk zones, roles of classification societies like the Lloyds of London, the roles of core stakeholders like NIMASA, Nigerian Navy and other maritime and security operators. The MAMAL 2025 is expected to draw over 500 key stakeholders, including maritime security experts, shipowners, terminal operators, international shipping lines, diplomats, insurers, regulators, and legal experts.”
