Dry-Docking Technologies: Assessment and Perspective in the Nigeria Maritime Sector

Abstract

The study presents a detailed review of dry-docking practices in Nigeria and some selected maritime countries. Dry-docking is a critical operation for the inspection, maintenance, and repair of ships, ensuring seaworthiness and compliance with international safety standards. Across Nigeria, the sector faces numerous obstacles including inadequate infrastructure, limited capacity of existing docks, high operational costs, and heavy reliance on foreign facilities. In the study, various maritime standards, recommended practices, and insights from academic and industry literature were systematically reviewed, focusing on current practices within Nigeria's maritime industry and beyond. This study aimed to develop a sustainable framework for vessel docking maintenance that is economically accessible to vessel owners, thereby promoting adherence to best practices and ensuring sustainable ship maintenance in Nigeria. Findings reveal that docking practices in the country are also selective, and existing policies and frameworks are largely unsustainable given the national maritime sector's ambitions. A novel docking technology is proposed to support sustainable framework in addressing prevalent tendencies of cost-cutting and profit-driven compromises, hence, fostering responsible maintenance practices in the shipping sector.