As part of efforts to end green-house gas emissions from vessels, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on May 10 had an inaugural installation of a fuel consumption data collection device known as the Thorium-X tablet, on board a Nigerian-flagged fuel tanker vessel, named MT KINGIS.
The pilot project came as fallout of the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (MTCC) conference held in Kenya in March, aimed at reducing fuel consumption by vessels. It was also targeted at developing countries, and Nigeria was made a priority and nominated for the pilot project.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dakuku Peterside, director-general of NIMASA, reiterated the Agency’s commitment to global best practices in the execution of its mandate of regulating the maritime industry.
Peterside, who was represented by Felicia Mogo, head of the Marine Environment Management Unit at NIMASA, said the agency is ensuring that Nigeria keep to global best practices with a commendable track record in administration and regulation in the maritime sector.
“NIMASA was chosen to lead the project in Nigeria, being the chosen country in the West and Central Africa region. This pilot project will last a year but the data will be reported to the Kenyan portal, then it goes to the IMO global portal after every voyage,” he said.
Musa Ado Ibn-Saidu, representative of Sea Transport Limited, owners of MT KINGIS, expressed delight in being part of the landmark installation initiative.
Ibn-Saidu said the crews of the vessel were keen to use the tablet. He thanked the NIMASA team for the requisite training provided the crew members on the operation and usage of the installed Thorium-X tablet.
The tablet is equipped with inbuilt internet capability for ease of communication of data, and also a dedicated software to calculate Energy Efficiency Operation Index (EEOI) of vessels on voyage. The information that results from the findings will facilitate decisions in maritime policy formation as it relates to GHG emissions from ships and its effect on climate and environment.
The Marine Environment Management unit of NIMASA has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure an environmentally safer and cleaner maritime domain.
It would be recalled that about a month ago, the Agency announced its collaboration with the National Oil spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on marine oil spill incident management, which is also in line with IMO requirements.
These initiatives collectively stand to give Nigeria added global recognition on issues of marine environment management and climate change.
