LAGOS, March 26 (Reuters) – Nigeria will only allow cargo vessels that have been at sea for more than two weeks to dock in its ports to prevent the spread of coronavirus, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Thursday.
Health experts fear a widespread outbreak in Africa’s most populous country of 200 million people which could overwhelm its creaking healthcare system.
Nigeria has closed its land borders and international airports in the last week to curb the spread of the virus.
Buhari said on Twitter he had issued a directive that “only cargo vessels that have been at sea for more than 14 days be allowed to dock in our ports, after the crew have been tested and confirmed disease-free by the port health authorities.”
Earlier, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said 14 new coronavirus cases had been identified, taking the total number to 65. Six of the new cases were detected on one vessel.
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.
The restrictions risk creating supply chain problems.
Manufacturers said this week the port wait time for ships had jumped to as long as 90 days. With airports closed to international flights and limiting crew access, air cargo deliveries could become increasingly unreliable. (Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram; Additonal reporting by Libby George; editing by Ed Osmond)
Major General Mikhail Gudkov, deputy head of the Russian Navy who was praised and promoted by President Vladimir Putin, has been killed in action, depriving Moscow of one of its most senior officers, the Russian military said on Thursday.
In one of the UK’s largest drug seizures of the past decade, UK Border Force officers have seized cocaine with an estimated street value of £96 million (USD 130 million)...
(Bloomberg) — Shell Plc has started exports from Canada’s first liquefied natural gas project, helping to meet rising Asian demand and extending its position in the global LNG market. The first...
July 1, 2025
Total Views: 830
Get The Industry’s Go-To News
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
— just like 109,120 professionals
Secure Your Spot
on the gCaptain Crew
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
— trusted by our 109,120 members
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.