IMO audit: NIMASA partners NiMet to address industry defects

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said it is partnering with Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) to close gaps identified by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) during its last mandatory audit of the nation’s maritime industry.

According to a statement by Osagie Edward, assistant director, Public Relations of NIMASA, this was the outcome of the meeting between both agencies when Mansur Bako Matazu, director-general of NiMet, was on a courtesy call to Bashir Jamoh, director-general of NIMASA, at the Agency’s headquarters in Lagos.

He said auditors from IMO had in 2016 conducted a mandatory audit of Nigeria’s maritime industry to ascertain Nigeria’s compliance level with IMO’s maritime security and efficiency protocols on the nation’s waters.

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Edward stated that both agencies agreed to set up a working committee to develop an action plan and implement a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the provision of the things recognised as missing from the maritime sector.

“IMO had during the audit of the Nigerian Maritime Administration some years ago, identified some gaps. The cooperation between NIMASA and NiMet is vital for the documentation and filling of those gaps. We have established a platform for action and devised various strategies for the achievement of our set goals,” Jamoh said.

“We desire to provide services to aid the movement of vessels on Nigerian waters. With climate change and its increasing intensity, this is the time for collaboration. NiMet weather forecasts are over 95 percent in accuracy,” Matazu said.

The IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS) commenced as a voluntary scheme in 2006 and became a treaty obligation in January 2016.

It aims to promote the consistent and effective implementation of applicable IMO instruments and to assist member states to improve their capabilities, while contributing to the enhancement of global and individuals overall performance in compliance with the requirements of the instruments to which it is a signatory to.