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Tag: NIMASA

  • NIMASA advocates safety enforcement

    The Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), on Thursday in Lagos advised maritime stakeholders on the need to maintain and enforce safety measures in the work place.

    Dr Dakuku Peterside, the Director-General (DG) of NIMASA speaking during the agency’s 2018 Annual Maritime Administration and Safety Enforcement Workshop said that it behoves on NIMASA to ensure safety within the nation’s maritime domain.

    The theme of the event was “Maritime Enforcement Safety: Current Global Benchmarks.”

    The D-G said that creating awareness on safety measure was the first step toward achieving the goals that entailed increase productivity, reduction in potential hazards, fewer accidents and the promotion of safety practices.

    “The initiation of Maritime Administration and Safety Enforcement (MASE) is to provide hands-on safety procedures that aid the industry to carry out responsibilities under the NIMASA Act of 2007 and related conventions.

    “MASE is devised to be compliant with maritime Health Safety Environment regulations which are solely for identifications, assessment and control of hazards prone to enforcement operations in onshore and offshore facilities.

    “MASE is set for officers directly involved in maritime regulatory activity in Nigeria,’’ Peterside said.

    The D-G, who listed some of the risk control measures, charged stakeholders drawn from both the public and the private sector to be mindful of the dangers attached to their work place in order for the nation to sustain International Maritime Organisation (IMO) directive.

  • NIMASA urged to build shipyard

    How can the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) boost the nation’s capacity in the maritime trade?

    It is by championing the development of an ultra-modern shipyard, say some maritime lawyers and stakeholders in the industry.

    Speaking with The Nation, a maritime lawyer and university teacher, Mr Dipo Alaka, said there is a need for NIMASA to build a shipyard to create jobs and arrest capital flight. He noted that millions of dollars are  spent to procure vessels abroad.

    According to him, cadets graduating from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, can do their practicals in the shipyard.

    NIMASA, he emphasised, should put in more efforts to acquire ship building and repair capability to boost the economy.

    To make the shipyard viable, he said NIMASA must ensure that the private sector is involved in its management. “Now that NIMASA has acquired its dry docking facility, the agency needs to promote ship yard facilities.

    “The acquisition of dry docking by NIMASA will not only create employment opportunities, but also arrest capital flight as many vessels calling at the ports will have a facility for dry docking instead of going elsewhere to do it.

    “Nigeria should learn some lessons from the ugly experience, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

    “In October 2013, the former  Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council, announced that the Council had approved N58.6 billion for the construction of shipbuilding facilities in Delta State.

    “Barely seven months later, the ground-breaking ceremony for the shipyard was performed by former President Goodluck Jonathan. Up till today, nothing has been heard concerning the plans and the process leading to the execution of the project,”Alaka said.

    He went on: “NIMASA needs to tell us how much manpower has been trained to handle the shipyard? Is the project conceived as the answer to the ship building and repair needs of the country or as a dockyard for the training of cadets?

    “Where was the place of the private sector in a venture the Federal Government sunk a whopping N58.6 billion?

    “These are some of the questions that must be asked in order not to see billions of Naira going down the drain while Nigeria continues to go around as far as shipbuilding capability was concerned.

    “NIMASA needs to facilitate the development of modern shipyards in Nigeria and operate them with the use of labour and local content as much as feasible. Most importantly, we need to know I’d the ship yard agreement had provision for marine engineering technology transfer programme from the builders,” Alaka said.

    NIMASA, another maritime lawyer, Mr Solomon Ibidapo, said, must be ready to provide ship repair services before graduating to ship building and the agency should provide incentives for any company that desired to invest in shipyards.

    A senior official of the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMoT) who does not want to be named said NIMASA was desirous of developing a shipyard and assist in the construction of ocean-going vessels in future.

    “This would, ultimately, lead to the establishment of a train – the- trainer programme for more employees to be trained in Nigeria. NIMASA was expected to facilitate government incentives to ensure the success of the project, encourage the building and maintenance of vessels to be done in Nigeria, and provide a stable and transparent regulatory regime to guarantee the sustainable success of the project on a long-term,” the FMoT official said.

    The vision behind the shipyard and dockyard project, the official said: “Is to have a world-class building and repair facility that will be commercially viable to transform the nation’s economy. The project is being developed in two phases. Phase one is the ship building facility to handle smaller vessels and maintain ships plying the nation’s inland waterways while the second phase is planned for a facility that will handle ocean-going vessels and offshore installations which will serve the oil and gas industry.”

    “The ship and dockyard facility is a response to a major infrastruc-tural capacity gap that has negatively affected the sector’s performance. An important pillar of our cabotage regime is the possession of indigenous capacity to build and maintain vessels for the cabotage trade. Having an in-country capacity for shipbuilding and maintenance is very crucial for the attainment of the cabotage policy objectives. It is in pursuit of this critical requirement that we conceived the shipyard/dockyard facility.

    “Another important reason for undertaking the project is that the ship and dockyard facility will support the training of graduates by providing opportunity for the practical training of naval architects, marine, communication and control engineers.

    “In the past, ship repair facilities available in our ports could only render limited services and consequently, most of the repairs on  vessels were carried out outside, thus resulting in substantial drain on the country’s foreign exchange reserves and that is why the call on NIMASA to promote ship yard facilities is acceptable and genuine,” the official added,” the official said.

  • NIMASA plans to make over $400m yearly from ship chandling

    Nigeria Maritime Administration Safety Agency  (NIMASA) Director-General (DG) Dr Dakuku Peterside has developed a blueprint that will enable the country make over $400 million yearly from ship chandling.

    A senior Federal Ministry of Finance (FMoF) official, told The Nation, that Peterside is concerned that foreigners and non-professional chandlers are supplying essential com-modities to ships, including  Floating Production Storage Offshore Vessels (FPSOVs), oil rigs, platforms, supply boats and liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels.

    The illegal practice, he said, had resulted in capital flight.

    The official alleged that some of those in the business obtained their licences from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

    Peterside, the official said, was working on an updated record of authentic professionals in the business.

    “Lack of regulation of the profession was partly responsible for the criminal activities on the nation’s territorial waters and that is why NIMASA is taking the bold move to end the cycle of criminalities in our waters and seas.”

    He described the business as a most lucrative one.

    Ship chandling, established in Nigeria through an Act in 1958, comprises retail dealers who supply equipment and goods for ships.

    Items that could be found in a chandlery may include: rosin, turpentine, tar, pitch (resin), linseed oil, whale oil, tallow, lard, varnish, twine, rope and cordage, hemp, oakum and tools (hatchet, axe, hammer, chisel, planes, lantern, nail, spike, boat hook, caulking iron, hand pump, (marlinspike).

    Others are brooms, mops, galley supplies, leather goods, and paper. Items that could be supplied by the modern day chandlers range from foodstuff, drinks, oil, engine oil, water,  spares to materials that the Captain of the ship may require.

    Former Nigeria Licensed Customs Clearing Agents (ANLCA) President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, said though the Local Content Act was to address such issues, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board was yet to understand the dynamics of local content in ship chandling.

    He said the country loses billions of naira yearly due to the low level of activities in the ship chandling sub-sector. He urged NIMASA to co-ordinate the statutes guiding ship chandling to harness it to create jobs for the youth and boost the economy.

    Ship of 5,000 Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT), he said, would require about $50,000 monthly for food, pharmaceuticals, oil, lubricants and other things to go to sea and return to port.

    Shittu said the NCS has the power to enforce as well as carry out the requisite training to understand the dynamics of how this aspect of the maritime business is run.

    “NIMASA and the Federal Government must do something about the business. The country must use all the resources we have to provide jobs for our people. Other countries are using ship chandel-ling to empower their youths and there is nothing wrong if we also tap into it,” he said.

    But an importer, Mr Shola Adedayo, alleged that port operators were charging indige-nous chandlers about 20 per cent of the total cost of the goods to be supplied. “They collect the money before they allow the goods to pass through their terminals for supply to the crew inside ships,” he said.

  • NIMASA: Africa must be on shipowners’ list

    The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is unhappy that Africa  is not on the world’s shipowners’ list.

    To  NIMASA,it is not good that  no carrier from the continent is on the list.

    As a way out, the agency plans to develop a ship tonnage growth strategy and promote best practices to attract vessels in the nation’s ship registry.

    In a message to the Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA) Conference at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, NIMASA Director-General Dr Dakuku Peterside said African governments and maritime administrators must develop ship tonnage strategy and practices to attract more vessels in African Ship Registry (ASR) to boost their economies.

    NIMASA, he said, was considering an approach that would address low tonnage and Nigeria’s inability to compete in global maritime trade.

    NIMASA’s Director for Special Duties Hajia Lami Tumaka, led Nigeria’s delegation to the confrence.

    In AAMA Chairman’s report, covering  2017 and 2018, exclusively obtained by The Nation, the Executive Council resolved that Maritime Administrations (MARADS) should:

    • consider training and capacity building in Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) of fisheries activities;
    • collaborate with relevant institutions to build capacity in Monitoring, Control and Surveillance of fisheries management and fishing activities in African waters;
    • enhance Africa’s Maritime surveillance for the benefit of ship management safety and security;
    • strengthen collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAQ) on enforcement of Port State Control guidelines on shipping activities; and
    • development of Near Coastal Trading Certification and Competency Code to foster Economic cooperation between Maritime Administrations.

    The Executive Council also considered the concept note presented by the Abuja MOU, which stated the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-Keeping for Seafarers (STCW) I978, set minimum standards for training, certification and watch-keeping for seafarers that member states are obliged to meet, or exceed.

    It also considered the work undertaken by the secretariat in developing Near Coastal Trading Certification and Competency Code to be adopted to foster economic cooperation among maritime administrations.

    The General Assembly is expected  to consider other areas of interest designed to address  enhancement of maritime pollution prevention and control to ensure protection of marine environment.

    The Executive Council noted with concern the role of MARADS in enhancing maritime pollution prevention and control, to ensure protection of  maritime infrastructure. It urged maritime administrations to ratify and domesticate relevant IMO instruments on marine pollution, prevention and control which, if fully implemented, would help achieve the drive towards a sustainable use of the African ocean and seas.

  • NIMASA starts rescue of 12 crew hijacked on Saturday — D-G

    The Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on Monday said it had started rescue operations for the 12 crew members hijacked on Saturday by pirates in Rivers.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that crew men of the vessel “MV Glarus”, owned by Allison Shipping, was hijacked by pirates off the Bonny Island in Rivers for a ransom.

    The NIMASA Director-General, Dr Dakuku Peterside, who was speaking to newsmen in Lagos, condemned the act, adding that the agency was working hard to ensure the release of the crew.

    “We are working closely with Forward Operation Base (FOB) of the Nigerian Navy, the Falcon Eye alongside others to secure their release unconditionally.

    “The agency is saddened about the attack and the perpetrator will surely be brought to book to serve as deterrent to others,” Peterside said.

    According to him, the issue of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is a challenge that must be tackled head-on.

    He said that the agency would ensure safety on the nation’s waterways.

    NAN reports that NIMASA recently adopted an all encompassing maritime security model tagged, Total Spectrum on Maritime Security Strategy. (NAN)

  • How NIMASA, MAN collaboration can change industry’s narrative

    I am highly impressed by what has happened between the last time I visited the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) informally and now. There have been tremendous improvements. Indeed, I am over-whelmed. I literally do not know where to begin my commendation of the man behind the success story, Commodore Duja Effedua. Besides, I have seen determination, pragmatism, and vision on the side of the leadership.The Rector has clearly shown where he wants to take the academy to and NIMASA will surely give him all the needed support going by the pace and determination he has already demonstrated.’’

    These inspiring words  showered on Commodore  Effedua by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Director-General, Mr. Dakuku Peterside, were like the appraisal of the Rector’s first anniversary.

    The NIMASA chief gave the commendation when he visited the Academy last Friday. He said he was on a fact-finding mission to confirm what he had read in the newspapers, adding that he was not disappointed.

    He expressed satisfaction with the transformation of the over 40-year-old Academy in the last one year.

    After  inspecting the campus, where many dilapidated or abandoned structures have been renovated, completed or undergoing construction by the Management, the NIMASA DG further appreciated the Rector for his vision and taste for quality.

    Peterside added that he was pleased that the Federal Government has found a round peg in a round hole in its quest to reposition the foremost maritime institution for the benefit of Nigerians and others in the sub-region.

    The DG stated the correlation between repositioning the Academy in terms of availability of facilities, quality of instructors and professional competency of cadets and the maritime narrative of the country.

    He argued that the status or functionality of the Academy has a direct bearing on the economy of the country; the reason government cannot treat the Maritime Academy with kid-gloves.

    “The importance of the maritime industry in Nigeria is directly related to the fortunes or performance of MAN. That is because the Academy grooms personnel for the industry. Therefore, if we expect the nation’s maritime industry to be top-range, the quality of personnel produced by the Academy also must be of top range. Again if we expect the quality of products from the Academy to be top range, then the quality of facility and instructors must also be at par with such expectations. It implies that if we want the industry to advance with the realities of the time, we must necessarily address issues pertaining to the Maritime Academy of Nigeria”, Peterside stated.

    Be that as it may, there is, therefore, much to glean from Commodore Effedua’s brief  highlight of policy and objectives of his administration, challenges and experiences in office. Commodore Effedua stated that his mission was on how to change wrong perceptions and the narratives of the Academy, to leave a legacy that stakeholders and posterity will be proud of.

    He said: “I must confess that I feel sad about where the Academy is today having been established about 40 years ago. It is far, far away from its contemporaries and even those that were founded long after it. Something must be done to redeem the grand objective of establishing the institution. And my goal is to achieve that to the best of my ability and this would be seen in the quality of products produced by this Academy under my watch. If the needed quality of staff, facilities and appropriate exposure are given, I can guarantee you that there is no how cadets from this academy cannot compete comfortably with their counterparts elsewhere in the world.”

    The Rector enumerated some of the challenges facing the academy to include unavailability of core maritime professionals, such as master mariners and navigators; obsolete teaching aids; lack of simulators and training ship for cadets’ sea-time; and bloated staff strength where over 70 per cent is non-teaching staff.

    Other challenges, according to the Rector, are incursion by host communities, who wrote volumes of frivolous petitions against the Management of the Academy; bloated cadets and lack of publications or books.

    Even in the face of these challenges, the Rector has devised a peculiar modus operandi to overhaul the structures and policies of the academy to achieve optimum results and strong diplomacy with host communities.

    Such include enforcement of discipline, training and restraining of workers at home and abroad through workshops, reduction of staff volume through redeployment, audit of certificates to ensure transparency. The Rector also involves in Corporate Social Responsibility for the communities.

    On the secret of his success, the Commodore stated that the magic lies in the belief that bad situations could be turned around for good with the right attitude, determination, competence and integrity. The second is creating  the right atmosphere for workers to key into your leadership pattern.

    Indeed, one major aspect of the Rector’s integrity in handling issues of the academy could have been dictated in his statements. Whereas others in the past ran down the government in the area of funding, the Rector gave what can be taken as a piece: “Let me say something no one may be bold enough and frank to say: funds from NIMASA to this Academy cannot strictly be said to be inadequate; but they are irregular. It takes so long to come. And that affects our operations so adversely. I wish they come when they should”.

    The Rector nonetheless expressed appreciation to the Federal Government and NIMASA for their commitments and interventions in critical areas of needs in the Academy. He, however, said much still had to be done to bring the Academy to international standard. The promises by the NIMASA DG were both encouraging and indicative of where the Academy should be.

    After suggesting measures to tackle the challenges,  Peterside said his agency would assist the Academy to realise its aims: “Let me make it very clear that NIMASA will offer help and support in all areas of need. This will include  bringing in core maritime professionals as external lecturers, initiating engagements and negotiations with affiliate organisations on exchange of programmes and facilities, acquiring simulators, ensuring timely release of funds due the institution, including donations of books.

    “I give my word that NIMASA will go all out to support the Management of the Academy because we are convinced beyond words of its capacity to deliver, so that together we can advance the vision of the maritime industry in this country. This is also in line with my strategic agenda for a complete turnaround of the sector for the envisaged benefits in all ramifications. In collaboration with sister organisations, we will train cadets and lecturers in highly professional aspects in places like Singapore, Egypt, etc.”

    Individuals and organisations that visited the Academy in recent times also praised the Rector for the changes at the Academy.

    The Naval chief attributed the problems in the institution to poor management and inability of those in charge to interpret the objectives of the foremost maritime training institution in Nigeria.

    Intersetingly, Commodore Effedua is changing things for the better.

    Other facilities that Peterside inspected include the remodelling of the library and resource centre, state-of-the-art survival pool,  and lecture theatres.

  • ‘NIMASA needs helicopters, patrol boats’

    The Federal Government has been urged to provide new helicopters, modern patrol boats and operational vehicles for the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to curb criminality on the waterways.

    Speaking with The Nation, immediate past president of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Prince Olayiwola Shittu said NIMASA needed the equipment for surveillance.

    He called for the enforcement of the laws against sea criminals, saying those arrested should be prosecuted.

    Shittu said lack of prosecution of suspects was a problem.

    He said: “To police the nation’s maritime boundaries requires a lot of platforms in the right places. NIMASA needs brand new helicopters, modern patrol boats, operational vehicles, human capacity and above all, technology that will provide the agency requisite surveillance.

    “With the availability of this equipment, we will begin to see a very high level of compliance by Nigerians, particularly, as it pertains to rules and regulations governing the maritime domain.‘’

    Shittu praised NIMASA Director-General Dakuku Peterside for how the agency has checked illegal activities on the waterways,

  • NIMASA: Cabotage fund disbursement coming

    THE disbursement of Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) would begin soon to assist local operators in the maritime sector, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) dropped the hint in Lagos at the weekend.

    Its Director-General Dakuku Peterside, said the challenges confronting effective implementation of local content development, under the cabotage regime, included inadequate infrastructure, skills gap and uncooperative attitude of some institutions, which are reluctant to invest in the sector.

    Represented by Deputy Director, Maritime Labour Services, Mr. Victor Egejuru, who spoke on the sideline of a breakfast meeting organised by the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) in Lagos, he said there were challenges confronting the effective implementation of local content  under the cabotage regime.

    He said the challenges include inadequate infrastructure, skills gap and uncooperative attitude of some institutions in the country.

    According to him, the institutions prefer short-term facilities against long-term facilities, adding that shipping is capital intensive and most of the banks shy away from it.

    He recalled that before now, the maritime space was dominated by foreigners, adding that story has changed. He said the Cabotage Act had restricted the use of foreign vessels and foreigners from participating in the coastal trade, and to a large extent, the agency has been able to address that through promotions, financial assistance and encouraging Nigerians to go into joint venture as well as by enforcement.

    He said enforcement is carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB). He said this was necessitated by the fact that the content board has an interface with oil majors who give out these contracts.

    He also said the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme was in progress with over 2000 Nigerians trained in first-class maritime institutions overseas.

    “Some of these people have graduated, some are already working in Nigeria, the essence is to ensure that at least if we say these vessels must be manned by Nigerians, we will have the capacity to take over from these foreigners,” he said.

    He said the agency has conducted the capacity audit of the shipping sector to determine what the country has and what it does not have so that the agency could fill the gap.

    “We are also looking at the provision of incentives in terms of giving tax waivers and the like to Nigerians who import maritime related equipment so that they can favourably compete with their foreign counterparts,” he added.

    Also, Nigeria Chamber of Shipping Director-General, Obiageli Obi said the government lacked the political will to make local content work. She blamed poor implementation on the authorities.

    She noted that there were companies and government agencies that had the content on their table, but had not done what they were supposed to do.

    On the Maritime Academy, Obi is sad that the academy is a shadow of itself, noting all over the world, the academy is well respected.

  • NIMASA: Cabotage fund disbursement coming

    THE disbursement of Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) would begin soon to assist local operators in the maritime sector, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) dropped the hint in Lagos at the weekend.

    Its Director-General Dakuku Peterside, said the challenges confronting effective implementation of local content development, under the cabotage regime, included inadequate infrastructure, skills gap and uncooperative attitude of some institutions, which are reluctant to invest in the sector.

    Represented by Deputy Director, Maritime Labour Services, Mr. Victor Egejuru, who spoke on the sideline of a breakfast meeting organised by the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) in Lagos, he said there were challenges confronting the effective implementation of local content  under the cabotage regime.

    He said the challenges include inadequate infrastructure, skills gap and uncooperative attitude of some institutions in the country.

    According to him, the institutions prefer short-term facilities against long-term facilities, adding that shipping is capital intensive and most of the banks shy away from it.

    He recalled that before now, the maritime space was dominated by foreigners, adding that story has changed. He said the Cabotage Act had restricted the use of foreign vessels and foreigners from participating in the coastal trade, and to a large extent, the agency has been able to address that through promotions, financial assistance and encouraging Nigerians to go into joint venture as well as by enforcement.

    He said enforcement is carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB). He said this was necessitated by the fact that the content board has an interface with oil majors who give out these contracts.

    He also said the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme was in progress with over 2000 Nigerians trained in first-class maritime institutions overseas.

    “Some of these people have graduated, some are already working in Nigeria, the essence is to ensure that at least if we say these vessels must be manned by Nigerians, we will have the capacity to take over from these foreigners,” he said.

    He said the agency has conducted the capacity audit of the shipping sector to determine what the country has and what it does not have so that the agency could fill the gap.

    “We are also looking at the provision of incentives in terms of giving tax waivers and the like to Nigerians who import maritime related equipment so that they can favourably compete with their foreign counterparts,” he added.

    Also, Nigeria Chamber of Shipping Director-General, Obiageli Obi said the government lacked the political will to make local content work. She blamed poor implementation on the authorities.

    She noted that there were companies and government agencies that had the content on their table, but had not done what they were supposed to do.

    On the Maritime Academy, Obi is sad that the academy is a shadow of itself, noting all over the world, the academy is well respected.

  • NIMASA: maritime data deserves GDP slot

    The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has said the agency is pushing for a single data window system of all activities in the maritime sector to help engender the nation’s rapid economic growth.

    The DG, who spoke in Lagos yesterday at an interactive session with the media, said the maritime sector which provides over 100,000 direct jobs with multiplier effects of over two million jobs, deserves adequate mention in the statistics released monthly by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    “We are pushing for a single data window system in the maritime sector, whereby NIMASA, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and other relevant government agencies in the sector will share a common platform for data on all vessels calling at our ports and the activities. This will make it easy for the National Bureau of Statistics to capture the contributions of the maritime sector and the GDP of the country to enable those who make use of the figures to grow the economy achieve better results,” he said.

    Speaking on the survey and inspection of vessels calling at Nigerian ports, he said that the fast intervention vessels the agency leased last year have led to an increase in Port, Flag and Coastal State control inspections, which he noted has increased by over 10.3, 33.3 and 27 per cent respectively in 2018 than the same period in the previous year.  This is just as the Agency has taken drastic action to ensure that substandard vessels do not ply and endanger our waters.

    “Nigeria is no longer conducive for substandard vessels, because they know that we are more vigilant and by this we are ensuring the protection of our environment. We are strict on enforcement of standards and the international fleet feels more comfortable with our maritime terrain”, the DG said.

    Commenting on the issue of placing beneficiaries of the Agency’s Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) onboard ocean going vessels for their mandatory sea-time training, he disclosed that currently a total number of 289 cadets have commenced their training in Egypt and the United Kingdom on NIMASA full sponsorship. He also used the opportunity to assure all beneficiaries of the scheme that the Agency will ensure they all complete their mandatory sea-time training in due course.

    He added that the agency is working with the IMO as technical partners to improve the quality of graduates from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron; this is to ensure that graduates from MAN, Oron and other maritime institutions are employable.

    Dr. Dakuku also said the agency is working with a shipping firm in the United Arab Emirates UAE to give 100 Nigerian Seafarers sea time training spread over 10 years.

    The NIMASA DG said the agency has been able to plug all loopholes through the automation of its processes, thereby curbing any form of corrupt practices. This, he said, has also assisted the agency to contribute substantially to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Federal Government.

    While noting that ratings on transparency and accountability by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) shows NIMASA has improved tremendously, Dr Dakuku  said the target is to be amongst the first three government agencies in the next rating.