AfricaOperations

Nigeria takes mixed coronavirus stance on ships entering its waters

The Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday introduced tough new coronavirus measures for container and dry bulk ships calling at the West African oil hub. Tankers, however, are allowed to proceed as normal.

Nigeria will now only allow ships that have been at sea for more than two weeks to dock in its ports to prevent the spread of coronavirus. All crew entering Nigerian waters will be tested for the virus by local port health authorities.

However, the president said the new restrictions would not apply to ships carrying oil and gas products because there was “minimal human contact” on such vessels.

Nigeria has also closed its land borders, commuter trains and international airports in the last week to curb the spread of the virus.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.
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