Absence of a national carrier… Have we lost our maritime sovereignty

For the truth is a tongue

By :RAHMA ABDULMONEM

In a world where countries are racing to protect their sea crossings and fortify their coasts with commercial and national fleets, Sudan remains a sad exception, leaving its beaches exposed, and voluntarily surrendering the keys of its maritime sovereignty to foreign companies, as if the sea does not matter to it, nor the security of its corridors is one of its affairs.

This country, which until the late eighties owned one of the largest naval fleets on the continent, is now without a national naval arm, watching over the ships of others transporting its goods, and taking over the export and import tasks on its behalf, while its own companies, qualified and capable, are subjected to deliberate exclusion and systematic disregard.

Perhaps the most dangerous of all, what is happening is not reduced to wasted profits or missed opportunities, but touches the essence of national sovereignty, because when Army shipments, the needs of sovereign institutions, and even Pilgrim convoys are delivered to foreign carriers whose loyalties are unknown, we not only abandon business, but open a gap in the national security wall.

We are not against openness, and we are not against the principle of contracting with abroad when necessary, but we are against the exclusion of the Sudanese from its land and sea in favor of those who have no history with us and no commitment.The reality testifies to the existence of private Sudanese companies that have proven their efficiency, and have qualified Sea Carriers and professional operating crews, but they are not granted their natural right to manage export and import operations, even in major seasons and events.

The company “tarco”, for example, as a vivid example, has the potential to make it at the forefront of national carriers, but it found itself outside the circle of choice in files of a sovereign and religious nature, while contracts were awarded to foreign companies without logical justification.

It’s not about efficiency, national efficiency exists, but about the absence of the will to contract with it. Unfortunately, the Sudanese decision in this area seems to be complicit in the absence, if not contributing to it.What Sudan needs today is not an economic theory, but a clear decision to restore consideration to the National private carrier, and entrust it with the file of outgoing and incoming, especially with regard to strategic goods and sovereign entities.

It is time for this complacency with maritime sovereignty to stop, and for the keys to be taken back from the hands of others. Just as the land borders are not secured for non-Patriots, the coasts of the country should not be left to those who are not loyal to it.

Sudan does not lack men, and it does not lack qualified companies, but it only needs a real belief that the sea is part of its soil, and sovereignty starts from its waters, sovereignty does not borrow a ship, and does not import a carrier…The sea, like the homeland, is protected only by the hands of its people.