• Friday, March 29, 2024
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BusinessDay

Bashir Jamoh: A burning passion for service (Part 2)

maritime sector

The Deep Blue Project is a brainchild of the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi. The policy intervention takes into consideration the lapses of previous security arrangements and seeks to address them, according to Bashir Jamoh, DG, NIMASA.

“When the minister came in at the inception of the present government in 2015, he sought to emplace a maritime security architecture that is strong enough to overcome the failures of the past systems, sophisticated enough to outpace the ever-growing complexities of crime, and flexible enough to fit into the country’s own peculiarities as well as international best standards,” the Director-General said. “Those were the thoughts that went into the making of the Deep Blue Project, and that is why the current management at NIMASA takes very seriously the question of synergy among the maritime stakeholders, both locally and internationally.”

He added, “In trying to harmonise, we have agreed to make these platforms interface with each other because we all are serving the same government. After taking stock, we would be able to see where the gaps exist in terms of what is still lacking, so that we can connect the dots. With this, we can build a concrete platform to fight maritime insecurity.”

There have also been vigorous attempts by NIMASA to ensure safety at sea. The Agency hosts the Regional Maritime Coordination Centre (RMCC), located at the Nigerian Maritime Resource Development Centre, Kirikiri, Lagos. The Lagos RMCC, one of the five designated Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres in Africa, is the secretariat of the West and Central African Search and Rescue Region. It coordinates Search and Rescue activities, and assists craft or persons in distress within the waters of nine countries in the region, namely, Republic of Benin, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Congo Democratic Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Togo.

Besides the one located at NIMASA’s Nigerian Maritime Resource Development Centre, which is fully up and running, there are three other centres in the country. They are located at Tarkwa Bay, in the Lagos/Western axis, Bonny, Escravos, and Oron. These three are expected to be fully operational by the end of this year.

The search for maritime safety and security through collaborative efforts has not been limited to domestic stakeholders. NIMASA co-chairs a working group of international stakeholders, including International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO), an association of independent tanker owners throughout the world; International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (INTERCARGO); International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), which brings together the main international trade association in the shipping industry, representing shipowners and operators in all sectors and trades; international oil companies; and Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the largest international shipping association representing shipowners, with membership in over 120 countries. BIMCO members control about 65 per cent of the world’s tonnage.

The working group meets monthly with representation from the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police, Federal Ministry of Transportation, and local stakeholders. The meeting discusses issues of common interest and solutions are proffered, with the ultimate aim of ensuring safety and security in Nigerian waters.

The recent initiatives, especially the attempt to stem piracy in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea, have earned Nigeria special praise from IMO. In a letter to the NIMASA Director-General last month, Secretary-General of IMO, Kitack Lim, said with the current prosecution of arrested pirates, Nigeria was sending a “strong and valuable message” to the global community about its commitment to safety and security in its waters and the Gulf of Guinea.

Lim commended the steps “taken by Nigeria to address maritime security threats in the region.” He stated, in a glowing appraisal of Jamoh’s style at the wheel of power, “I commend your leadership and proactive response. I would also like to reiterate my congratulations to the Nigerian Navy on the successful capture and arrest of pirates from the fishing trawler Hailufeng 11, and more recently on the rescue of the crew members of the containership Tommi Ritscher.

“Those actions, together with all the other initiatives you highlighted in our meeting, including progress with the Deep Blue Project, send a strong and valuable message to the international community with respect to the considerable efforts your government is making to curb piracy and armed robbery against ships in the Gulf of Guinea.”

Many believe Jamoh’s proactive early steps are likely to prove very consequential in determining the trajectory of the maritime sector in the years ahead. As one stakeholder put it, “This voyage certainly has the right man in the wheelhouse.”

 

Vincent Obia

Obia is a staff of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).