The director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Bashir Jamoh, said the agency has increased the condition survey of vessels flying Nigerian flag by 43.6 percent in 2021 in line with its determination to ensure safe navigation.
He said that NIMASA also recorded a 24.2 percent improvement in Port State Control (PSC) implementation in the year under review compared to 2020.
Jamoh, who spoke at the weekend during a media interactive session in Lagos, said that despite the challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, the Agency ensured improved Port and Flag State Administration in accordance with the safety requirements of the Merchant Shipping Act 2007.
A breakdown of the figure shows that the Agency carried out a condition survey of 489 vessels under Flag Registration in 2021, compared to 276 vessels surveyed in 2020, representing a 43.6 percent improvement.
In terms of Port State Control implementation, NIMASA assessed 673 vessels in 2021, which was an improvement on the 510 vessels boarded for inspection in the previous year, representing a 24.2 percent increment.
Jamoh also disclosed that the Agency reactivated the online portal for stakeholders to verify the Nigerian Certificate of Competency (CoC) from any part of the world.
“This will reduce falsification of Nigerian Seafarers’ Certificate and enhance the employment of Nigerian Seafarers. We experienced the rejection of Nigerian Seafarers both locally and internationally, and the Agency decided to introduce the online certificate verification platform which allows shipowners to easily authenticate CoC from the comfort of their homes,” he said.
While raising concern over the rate of failures recorded by Nigerian seafarers during the Certificate of Competency examination in 2021, Jamoh said that the Agency has commenced investigation into the causes of the trend with a view to addressing it holistically.
According to him, NIMASA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maritime Transport Coordination Center (MTCC) in 2021 for developing capacity needed to reduce Greenhouse Gas emission in the maritime industry with emphasis on achieving 0.5 percent Sulphur Oxide in Bunker fuel.
He said that the NIMASA laboratory is already completed and there is hope to enter into public-private partnership arrangement this year to manage the laboratory for optimal utilisation.
“NIMASA also carried out 20 marine accident investigations in 2021, as against 18 in 2020, while also enforcing safety regulations on barges and tugboats under the code name, ‘Operation Sting Ray’. We have taken delivery of more Deep Blue Project Assets, and some of these assets have been deployed to the Nigerian Navy for use,” he explained.
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Jamoh said that NIMASA is collaborating with stakeholders in the international maritime community to entrench coordinated response to piracy and other criminalities on the Nigerian waters, ensure prompt reportage and provide navigational advisory to mariners.
While noting that the Agency is committed to improving strategic collaboration with the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Airforce, the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Army, and the office of the National Security Adviser, Jamoh said that the move has helped to reduce piracy attacks off the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, as there was no single attack on Nigerian waters in the third quarter of 2021, as reported by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
He further disclosed that the Deep Blue Project is enjoying international support as the Korean Government has donated a vessel to support the project, adding that the Regional Maritime Awareness Center (RMAC), is being upgraded to SEA VISION to allow for monitoring of vessels along West and Central African Region.
In the area of revenue, the NIMASA DG said the Agency increased its contribution to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Federal Government from 31 billion in 2020 to over 37 billion in 2021.
In 2022, he said, the agency wants to strengthen its maritime safety and security enforcement mechanism, organise a stakeholder engagement towards harnessing the potential of blue economy, and enhance its revenue collection and contribution to the Consolidation Revenue Fund.
