The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dayo Mobereola has reiterated the commitment of the agency in sustaining the improved compliance levels at the nation’s ports while noting the effect this has on how Nigeria is perceived internationally.
This is even as disclosed that the Agency will not relent in its supporting efforts under the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, to improve standards in the Nigerian maritime industry.
He gave the reassurance while receiving the delegation of the United States Coast Guard which commended Nigeria, and NIMASA for what the Coast Guard described as considerable progress in the implementation of the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
Hear him; “I must express my happiness at the positive feedback we have received from the USCG delegation as it serves as a reward for the Federal Government’s commitment to the development of the sector, and the work of the Agency, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, to ensure international standards are adhered to in the area of port security”.
On his part, Joe Prince Larson of the US Coast Guard who led the team from the International Port Security Programme on a Working Tour of some Terminals and Ports in Nigeria to ascertain the level of implementation of the ISPS Code across Nigerian port facilities noted that Nigeria’s compliance with the ISPS Code ranks amongst the best globally.
The team had earlier conducted assessment visits to the Dangote Port and Lekki Free Trade Zones in Lekki, Lagos State, as well as private port facilities operated by Matrix and Julius Berger in Warri, Delta State.
He added that his team would report their findings to the leadership of the US Coast Guard accordingly and expressed confidence that NIMASA had the capacity to maintain the high standards attained to date.
According to Mr. Larson, “We had the pleasure of visiting Matrix and Julius Berger in Warri, Delta State before proceeding to the Lekki Deep Seaport and Dangote Port in Lagos, with the overall assessment being very positive. We noted that there is a clear and deep understanding on the implementation of the ISPS Code in Nigeria with the level of compliance observed to be at par with some of the best maritime nations globally. We would report our findings back to US Coast Guard headquarters accordingly.”
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