Offshore Vessel Chartering in Nigeria: What to Confirm Before You Commit

"PSV required in Nigeria, please quote." An enquiry like that leaves owners with unanswered questions about cargo, location, timing and acceptance. This guide sets out the checks to complete before you commit.

Start with a proper charter brief

Write the operating requirement down before requesting offers. A useful brief covers:

The work scope and operating area.
The loading base and delivery point.
The start date, firm duration and extension options.
Cargo weights, dimensions and quantities, or passenger numbers.
Essential deck, tank, towing, lifting or dynamic-positioning requirements.
Client inspection and acceptance criteria.
Mobilisation expectations and the quotation deadline.

Separate essential requirements from preferences, and state any parts of the scope that are still developing. Otherwise owners may price different assumptions, and the offers become hard to compare.

Choose for the job, not just the vessel category

Platform supply vessel (PSV): Look beyond headline deck area. Check usable space, deck loading limits, tank capacities, and whether the vessel can carry and transfer the intended cargo.
Anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS): Verified bollard pull, winch capability, equipment and operating limits matter. Horsepower alone does not show suitability.
Crew boats: Confirm passenger capacity, journey length, transfer arrangements and operating limits. Speed matters, but so do the conditions in which people board and disembark.
Dynamic positioning: Specify the required capability and acceptance criteria. Specification sheets must be backed by relevant records and technical review.

Ask what "available" actually means

Establish the vessel's current location, when it is released from its existing commitment, and its earliest realistic delivery date.
Identify what must happen before work can start, such as repositioning, repairs, surveys, crew changes, project equipment or client inspection.
Get availability and conditions in writing, and keep them current during negotiations. An indicative date is not a firm mobilisation commitment.

Check the evidence behind the specification

Documents to request: Current vessel particulars, class and statutory records, insurance evidence, equipment certificates and details of outstanding defects.
Expiry dates: Check them against the proposed charter period, including likely extensions.
Crew review: Cover qualifications, relevant task experience and any project-specific requirements.
Inspections: Agree whether operational tests or a pre-charter inspection are needed, who arranges them, and how findings will be closed.
Inspection reports: They should inform the decision but not replace a project-specific suitability review. Their scope, date and limitations matter.

Compare the full commercial offer

The lowest day rate may not be the lowest total cost. Put all quotations on the same basis and ask each party to state its inclusions, exclusions and assumptions.

Items to clarify: When hire begins, delivery and redelivery locations, mobilisation costs, fuel arrangements, port charges, project equipment and additional personnel.
Contract terms to review: Breakdown and off-hire provisions, extensions, early termination, insurance and liability allocation.

Have the charter party and any amendments reviewed by suitably qualified advisers, since a familiar form may not suit the actual work.

Plan mobilisation before the vessel is due

Work backwards from the date the vessel must be accepted and ready to operate.
Give each outstanding item a named owner, a due date and a clear close-out requirement. Items include documentation, corrective work, inspections, cargo readiness, crew movements and port arrangements.
Confirm regulatory and client requirements with the responsible parties early. Coordination support does not replace required approvals or the charterer's acceptance.

Build Nigeria-specific checks into the charter plan

Cabotage registration: NIMASA describes cabotage registration as entry into the Special Register for cabotage vessels and shipowning companies. Requirements differ by registration category, so check the vessel, ownership and operating arrangement against the applicable rules before treating an offer as ready to mobilise.
Port calls: Agree with the appointed agent who prepares entry documents, obtains clearances and tracks the vessel. Nigerian Ports Authority berthing depends on completed records, entry requirements, operational scheduling and berth availability. Confirm current procedures for the specific port with the agent and port authority.

These are planning references, not an exhaustive legal checklist or a guarantee of approval.

Example: PSV mobilising through Onne

Illustrative scenario, not a completed Apex project. One owner quotes from the vessel's present location, while another assumes delivery at the loading base. Align repositioning, delivery point, cargo readiness, port arrangements and client acceptance before comparing day rates, and give each open item a responsible person and a deadline.

Example: crew boat from Lagos

Illustrative scenario. A crew boat request is incomplete without passenger numbers, route, transfer arrangements, operating limits and acceptance criteria. The provider should confirm the proposed boat against that brief, and departure and arrival arrangements should be coordinated with the relevant facilities. A boat suited to a different route may not meet this assignment's needs.

Frequently asked questions

What is needed for a charter quotation?: The work scope, location, start date, duration, cargo or passenger requirements, essential capabilities and client acceptance criteria. Flag anything still provisional.
What affects charter cost?: Specification, availability, duration, delivery location, mobilisation, fuel arrangements and project requirements. Compare total expected costs against the same scope.
Does an inspection prove a vessel suits every job?: No. Inspections have defined scopes and limits and must be read alongside the proposed work's requirements.
Does Apex own the vessels it offers?: No. Apex sources vessels through vessel-owning partners, and ownership, operating responsibilities and contracting arrangements should be clear in each offer.

General planning information only. Not legal advice or a vessel suitability approval. Official references checked on 23 October 2026: NIMASA cabotage registration guidance and NPA vessel arrival and clearance FAQs.