As Lecture Theatres and Offices are Solar Powered

The restructured and repositioned Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, reechoed its claim to global standing as maritime technocrats, lecturers and professionals gathered to mark this year’s World Maritime Day, WMD, in Lagos Nigeria.

Speaking at the event, Rector of MAN, Cdre. Duja Emmanuel Effedua (rtd), reiterated that the Academy is not only aligned with the IMO theme (New Technologies for Greener Shipping) of this year’s celebration but has taken action on going green even before now.

The Rector making his presentation at the WMD event.

According to the Rector “With the rising cost of diesel which gone up from N7 million to N27m and still rising, we have been exploring options and alternatives to save cost, cut emissions and safeguard the environment. With the funding issues we grapple with, we realized long ago that going green is not an option but an unavoidable necessity”

MAN Light House

“Several of our lecture theatres are already solar powered. By December all our classrooms and offices will be solar powered. We shall be switching on our diesel powered generators when we need to use our simulators because of the high voltage required to power them” Effedua said.

The Rector beaming with smile and exuding high confidence told maritime stakeholder that MAN has evolved into a world class institution as countries within Africa are in discussions with the Academy for training purposes in different areas.

Speaking exclusively with Maritime Nigeria on the sidelines of World Maritime Day event, the Rector reiterated that MAN is not where is used to be because a lot of the things which seemed impossible years back have been made possible.

In his words “The Academy has been restructured and repositioned for global excellence. We have evolved into a world class maritime institution. If you listened attentively during my presentation, I listed the steps we have taken on renewable energy and going green”.

“Greenhouse Gases {water vapor (H 2O), carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane ( CH 4), nitrous oxide ( N 2O), and ozone (O3)} have been a global concern and the need to cut down emissions by ships and industries have been talked about for years. We at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria are very concerned too and efforts are ongoing to mitigate the worries”

“In terms of preparation and equipment for training, we are on top in Africa and among the best in the world. There is nothing in any other academy anywhere in the world  that we don’t have; the only difference is the colour of the skin. Some people still want to see the white man’s presence before things can happen, that is not true.  Things have changed for good and we thank all those who have worked with us to bring us to where we are”

“The Federal Ministry of Transportation and our sister agencies have been very supportive. Ship owners, Master Mariners and others have stood with us and remain very supportive. With their support and collaborations, we are prepared and ready for the future. We cannot thank them enough even as the journey continues”

MUN Cadets on a Training Prog at MAN

The Rector was emphatic that the challenge of greener shipping is a consequence of scientific encroachment on nature. He said scientists have an enormous task ahead for them in trying to correct the imbalance and come up with the better energy options.

“Talking about greener shipping 2050, just about 28 years away from now, it means scientists must work hard to ensure that emissions and the carbon signature is reduced to the barest level. That will be a very huge task and very expensive for our growth in the maritime industry.”

 “Do we go back to sail, that is possible but we can’t because the tonnage of vessels have changed. Do we go back to steam, how efficient is steam? Diesel is still the most efficient. Let us not talk about nuclear because that is different thing entirely. Do we talk about hydrogen, hydrogen is very fragile, with the pitching and wave of vessels, there could be accidents onboard.

“If it is solar we want to think about, have you thought about tantalite, lithium and cobalt? Where do they get these things from; mostly from Africa.  What will be the impact on the environment when people start mining these things? They will create more problems for us in Africa, so these are the things we have been talking, teaching and discussing with our cadets at MAN”.

One of several Swimming Pools at the Academy

The retired naval chief however cautioned that though alternatives to carbon producing energy like diesel and other forms of fossil fuels are numerous, care must be taken to ensure that the 2030 timeline given by IMO to implement alternative energy that will promote greener shipping do not create more havoc for the third world countries where cheaper energy raw materials are exploited.

Commodore Duja Emmanuel Effedua (rtd.), Rector, MAN

The Rector who attended the World Maritime Day event with his management team, senior lecturers and staff said they were at the event to take notes.

“It is stimulating to know that we are going to have eminent scholars who are going to deliver papers. We shall contact them for more interactions so our cadets and lecturers can look at some of the new options and see how compliant such options are with our environment.” The Rector said.