The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has intensified its regulatory reforms with the rollout of its Maritime Labour e-Platform and the presentation of the 2025 Stevedoring Regulations, marking a significant shift toward digital governance, stricter compliance, and tougher penalties of up to ₦15 million for violations.

The initiatives were unveiled during a stakeholders’ sensitisation and pilot demonstration of the e-platform held in Lagos over the weekend.

Digital Platform to Transform Seafarer and Dockworker Administration

Director of Maritime Labour Services, Ibrahim Sidi, announced that the e-platform—which automates the registration of seafarers and dockworkers, streamlines service delivery, and issues biometric ID cards—will officially go live in January 2026.

He explained that the platform would create a unified database for Nigeria’s maritime workforce, eliminate manual paperwork, minimise delays, and strengthen compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 and national labour standards.

“The e-platform creates a robust and integrated system for maritime labour data. It will greatly improve automation, service delivery and regulatory oversight,” Sidi said.

As part of the pilot phase, stakeholders test-ran the biometric ID issuance process for dockworkers, signalling NIMASA’s broader push for transparency and digital-driven supervision.

2025 Stevedoring Regulations: Stricter Rules, Tougher Enforcement

Presenting the 2025 Stevedoring Regulations, NIMASA’s Director of Legal Services, Heaky Dimowo—represented by Lotachukwu Eze—said the updated rules are essential for improving labour conditions, enhancing safety, and enforcing stronger oversight across all ports, jetties, terminals, and maritime facilities.

He noted that only companies registered and certified by NIMASA will be legally allowed to carry out stevedoring activities.

Key Compliance Requirements

The new regulatory framework mandates that:

• Only duly registered Nigerian corporate entities may provide dock labour.
• Companies must apply for registration and licensing, pay required fees, and undergo assessment of cargo-handling equipment and plans.
• Employers must provide safe working conditions, maintain equipment, supervise operations, and comply with laws on wages, welfare and training.
• Public liability insurance and worker-fatality insurance must be maintained at all times.
• NIMASA may appoint independent experts—at the employer’s cost—to inspect equipment and safety compliance.

Dimowo added that all employers must supply appropriate PPE, maintain Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) programmes, prevent cargo spillage into surrounding waters, conduct risk assessments, and retain qualified personnel such as equipment operators, firefighters, hazardous cargo handlers, and safety officers.

“These requirements simply mean exercising due diligence at all times,” he said.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

The 2025 regulations introduce new penalties, including:

• ₦100,000 for engaging in dock work without registration
• ₦1 million for employing unregistered dockworkers
• ₦5 million for operating as an unregistered stevedoring employer
• ₦15 million for failing to remit the mandatory 0.5% levy
• ₦5 million plus ₦500,000 daily for refusing to engage registered stevedores at designated locations

NIMASA will also assess training needs, certify approved training institutions, and ensure maritime schools adopt standardised stevedoring curricula. Stevedoring charges, Dimowo said, must align with NIMASA-approved rates.

He added that the agency will mediate labour disputes, while unresolved cases fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.

Stakeholders Applaud Digital Transformation

Industry stakeholders praised NIMASA for harmonising digital innovation with stronger regulation, describing the reforms as timely for the evolving maritime sector.

With the introduction of the e-Labour platform and enforcement of the 2025 Stevedoring Regulations, NIMASA is poised to improve labour welfare, strengthen compliance, accelerate administrative processes, and enhance Nigeria’s readiness for a more digitally driven maritime economy.