NIMASA: Winning the War Against Sea Pirates on Nigeria's Waterways and Gulf of GuineaSpecial Story By: James Shodiya

       MARAN ANNUAL LECTURE 2023 

The President General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Prince Adewale Adeyanju, former Minister of Interior and Chief Executive Officer, CEO of Genesis Worldwide Shipping, Capt. Emmanuel Ihenacho, and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Nigeria Indegenous Shipowners Association (NISA) Chief Isaac Jolapamo, have confirmed their attendance at the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria, (MARAN) Annual Maritime Lecture (MAMAL) scheduled to hold on November 29, 2023.

The maiden Annual Lecture themed: "Maritime Security: Emerging Threats and Actionable Steps" is targeted at proffering long-term, sustainable solutions and will take place on November 29, 2023 at Rockview Hotel Apapa, Lagos by 9 am.

In a press statement signed by the President of MARAN, Godfrey Bivbere, he stated that the 2023 MAMAL would effectively address maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) region and protect seafaring and fishing communities in the affected countries.

MARAN, as the foremost umbrella body of journalists covering the Nigerian maritime sector, has identified and commends the collaborative initiatives and efforts of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA and other maritime agencies which led to a significant reduction in piracy incidents in Nigerian waters and the GoG throughout 2022.

To a large extent, the establishment of the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum for the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (GOG-MCF/SHADE) has enabled stakeholders within and outside the region to connect and discuss frequently how best to tackle piracy in the area and this had yielded verifiable results.

Bivbere noted that the Special Guest of Honour is Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola while the keynote Speaker is the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh.

Other speakers will include former NIMASA DG, Barr Temisan Omatseye, Alhaji Aminu Umar,  President of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS); Mr. Emmanuel Maiguwa, President, Maritime Security Providers Association of Nigeria (MASPAN) and Capt Waredi Eniosuo

Stakeholders in the maritime sector including Shipowners, NIMASA, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Navy, Shipping Lines, Terminal Operators, and major seafarers’ organizations are all expected to grace this epoch-making event.

Bivbere further noted that other dignitaries expected at the event include the Chairman of Starz Group, Greg Ogbeifun, the Nigeria Ship Owners Association, NISA, Ship Owners Association of Nigeria, SOAN, and all other relevant stakeholders.

         Dr. Bashir Jamoh, DG NIMASA

NIMASA: Winning the War Against Sea Pirates on Nigeria's Waterways and Gulf of Guinea Special Story

  By: James Shodiya

Looking at the achievements made so far in the aspect of shipping development, maritime safety and security, it is obvious that the current management of Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency(NIMASA) under the leadership of Dr. Bashir Jamoh has proved that he is out to curb piracy on Nigerian Waterways and Gulf of Guinea to a bearest minimum.

For several years, the Gulf of Guinea region, which houses Nigeria and other West African countries, was notorious as the world’s piracy hotspot due to incessant attacks on oceangoing vessels, kidnapping of crew members, and hijacking of inbound cargoes.

In 2021, the region for the first time started witnessing a decline in reported cases of pirate attacks, vessel hijacking, and crew kidnapping.

This development was confirmed by the annual piracy report of the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which states that pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea region decreased from 81 reported incidents in 2020 to 34 in 2021.

This is all thanks to efforts put in place by agencies like the Bashir Jamoh-led Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Under Jamoh administration, NIMASA has in the last two years, managed to slow the tempo of piracy and other related crimes through different strategic and deliberate efforts.

First, the agency in 2019 got President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the first standalone anti-piracy law in the Gulf of Guinea Region called the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bill into law (SPOMO ACT).

With the act, Nigeria was able to secure a premier conviction for some suspected pirates arrested within the nation’s territorial waters by the Nigerian Navy in 2020, thereby serving as a deterrent for other criminals.

In addition to SPOMO Act, the agency also got the Federal Government’s approval to invest heavily into the acquisition of sea and air surveillance patrol assets under the Deep Blue Project to deepen maritime security.

To implement the Deep Blue Project, which was flagged off by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, 21st May 2021, NIMASA purchased key assets including two Special Mission Vessels (SMVs), 17 Fast Interceptor Boats (FIBs), two Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) and 16 Armoured Vehicles.

According to NIMASA Performance report, which describes Bashir Jamoh’s two years in office, some of these assets have been deployed to the Nigerian Navy for operational use.

Aside from Deep Blue, the agency also started the process of upgrading the Regional Maritime Awareness Center (RMAC) in Kirikiri to SEA VISION in order to allow for monitoring of vessels along the West and Central Africa Region.

Currently, NIMASA is engaging international stakeholders, including BIMCO, INTERTANKO, INTERCARGO, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and Oil Companies International Maritime Forum (OCIMF) under the auspices of NIMASA/Industry Maritime Security Work Group (NIWG) to entrench coordinated response to piracy attacks.

Confirming this, Jamoh said, this approach will ensure prompt reportage and escalation of marine incidences to where the action is most needed and also provide navigational advisory to mariners.

Portbizness News gathered that NIMASA is also on the verge of instituting collaboration with other national authorities in Nigeria for improved maritime safety and security, as well as ensuring efficient port operations.

According to Jamoh in a recent chat with stakeholders

“We are committed to improving strategic collaboration with the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Airforce, the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Army, and the office of the National Security Adviser. This move will help to sustain the reduction in pirate attacks off the Gulf of Guinea as there was no single attack on Nigerian waters in the third quarter of 2021, as reported by the IMB,” 

NIMASA also established the integrated national maritime surveillance and security infrastructure, which enables the country, to deploy satellite surveillance equipment to counter piracy on Nigerian waters.

With the equipment, the country built the capacity to respond to distress calls on Nigerian waters and beyond. It also enables the agency to identify ship positions in real-time which can greatly enhance search and rescue, plot search and rescue patterns, detect vessels that switch off their automatic identification system (AIS), and interrogate the satellite image for information.

To further consolidate on the gains, the agency is also perfecting plans to resuscitate the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Equipment in Lagos, Bonny, and Oron, as well as radar installation in Escravos Bonny and Takwa Bay in Lagos.

Pundits believed that the upgrading of GMDSS will go a long way to further boost Nigerian domain awareness response capability when fully operational. It will also enable Nigeria to effectively understand the things associated with the maritime domain and how they can impact the security, economy, and environment.

NIMASA has also made a leap with the implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, which has steadily impacted the level of security in the nation’s port areas and facilities.

It is on record that the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the global maritime regulatory agency, recently commended the Bashir Jamoh-led NIMASA for its giant stride on fight against piracy.

For instance, in December 2020, IMO applauded NIMASA’s efforts in the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea Region.

According to a letter by Kitack Lim, the secretary-general of IMO, the specialised UN organ commended Bashir Jamoh, the director-general of the NIMASA for his ‘brave and dynamic’ approach to maritime security.

Lim said he was impressed by Nigeria’s efforts ‘to address maritime security threats in the region,’ adding that Jamoh’s ‘leadership and proactive response’ to maritime security issues, were laudable.

This was in addition to the earlier commendation of NIMASA’s action of declaring seafarers as key workers in order to facilitate crew changes during the COVID-19 induced international lockdown.

Also, the IMO recently gave institutional backing to NIMASA’s Marine Litter Action Plan, thereby showcasing the agency’s collaboration with the IMO.

To continue to lead the NIMASA vis-à-vis the Nigerian maritime industry to success through the promotion of safe shipping of goods and service, Jamoh promised that the Agency would consolidate on the gains of the past years by improving collaboration with all stakeholders, aimed at utilising ocean-based resources for the good of the Nigerian economy.

“We will strengthen our maritime safety and security enforcement mechanisms; organise a stakeholders’ engagement towards harnessing the potentials of a blue economy; enhance revenue for increased contribution to the consolidated revenue fund; actualise the movement of the Agency’s headquarters to its newly acquired building in the Victoria Island; ensure the floating dock becomes operational and established the regional maritime safety and security training centre,” Jamoh assured the maritime industry.

According to him, the agency in 2022 will also focus on building regional maritime search and rescue clinic; revive Lokoja office and construct NIMASA central and eastern zonal offices.

PORTBIZNESS NEWS 

UPDATE ....

Thursday 30th, November2023

MARITIME CRIME: A DISASTER TO NATIONAL TREASURY, SAYS EXPERTS

Maritime crime has been described as a huge business in Nigeria and its damaging effects is draining national treasury.

This revelation was disclosed at the just concluded Annual Maritime Lecture tagged "MAMMAL 2023" organized by Nigeria's  foremost Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria(MARAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, a maritime security expert, Executive Director of Tantita, Capt. Warredi Enisuoh told participants that it has become a big security threat for international vessels playing Nigerian waters; adding that every vessel coming into the country has to engage the service of escort patrol boat for securing their vessel for as much as 50,000 dollars par trip.

He stressed further that oil and gas firms do not know how to manage maritime security threat now purchased bullet proof ships which now added to cost of their production.

According to the Maritime Expert, all vessels navigating Nigerian waters has been mandated by law to give a flag entry notice to Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency(NIMASA), a designatory authority in maritime security and administration in Nigeria who will issue an approval where and when necessary.

He however stated that NIMASA needs to be empowered to be able to make arrest and prosecute pirates and any other criminality on the waterways; even as there are many illegal vessels operating in the country.

Also speaking at MAMMAL 2023, was former President of Shipowners Association of Nigeria (NISA) Chief Isaac Jolapamo who told news men that Nigerian Navy has no business in commercial shipping.

The seasoned shipowners added that there is need for a political will power to effect a change in maritime security in Nigeria.

On his part as the Chairman of occasion,Dr. Eugene Nweke commended MARAN for choosing a major and critical topic in the maritime sector; added that reason why the Gulf of Guinea is volatile is not only because of oil but other treasures like gold, diamond and other valuables of interest to mankind.

He submitted that 80% countries of the world have an interest in GoG.

PORTBIZNESS NEWS UPDATE ....

FRIDAY NOV.24, 2023

TOP HIGHLIGHTS:

🔸NIMASA Actively Monitors Egina Crude Oil Spills.....

Assures Effective Control & Prevention of Pollution 

🔸MARAN Sets Sail To Host Annual Maritime Lecture Nov. 29 in Lagos....

DETAILS.....

NIMASA

The Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency(NIMASA) said that it is actively monitoring the Egina oil spill incident which took place during loading operations in Egina as it joins efforts with other stakeholders to ensure it controls the pollution and prevent future occurrence.

The  apex Agency is closely working with the National Oli Spill Detention and Response Agency(NOSDRA) from the crisis management Room where the spill is being monitored real time using oil spill monitoring software from the Emergency Response Center

NIMASA added that the oil spill Response Limited from the United Kingdom is also assisting with the Pollution Control Measures.

EXCURSION AFRICA UPDATES       Powered by Amb. Rasaki OLIYIDE (MITPN, MNIM). 

The Founder and CEO of Excursion Africa Awards, Excursion Africa Media, Elim Educational Agency Limited and Elim Enterprises. 

All Enquiries to +2348020953800 Call / WhatsApp 

We Welcome Freelance Reporters Across the world.