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NIMASA says ISPS Code is key component of Nigeria’s maritime security architecture
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) revealed that it has begun putting the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS), a key component of maritime security architecture, into practice.
This was said by Dr Bashir Jamoh, Director-General of NIMASA, in a statement released to newsmen on Monday when he received Mr Jim Hamilton, the Deputy Head of the International Maritime Security Operations Team (IMSOT), in Lagos.
According to Jamoh, Hamliton led a team on a working tour to assess the level of compliance with the ISPS Code at several of the country’s ports.
Mr Shehu Ahmed, the agency’s Executive Director of Operations, represented Jamoh, who stated that the necessity of a successful implementation of the ISPS Code regime could not be overstated.
According to him, the Nigerian government has been required to domesticate ISPS Code Implementation Regulations since 2014, as it is a requirement of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.
Jamoh also welcomed the peer review mechanism from IMSOT.
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In his words, “We at NIMASA have such a peer review arrangement with the United States Coast Guard, which has been highly effective in developing capacity for ISPS Code implementation. We are working to extend the relationship to other countries.
“This we believe will ensure that our personnel possess the requisite skills and competencies to execute their responsibilities in line with the mandate of the ICIR 2014.
“The importance of the exposure of our personnel to the legal regimes and security operations of other contracting governments is not lost on us.”
The NIMASA DG assured the IMSOT team that actions had been taken to address areas of concern mentioned during their visit in 2018, and that the Agency was also taking steps to combat pirate activity in the Gulf of Guinea.
He stated that it would be through the Federal Government’s Deep Blue Project, as well as the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offenses (SPOMO) Act, which he said was steadily yielding results.
In his remarks, Hamilton expressed delight with the level of cooperation and synergy that exists across government agencies in the Nigerian maritime industry.
He stated that they would share their knowledge with NIMASA in order to ensure that the ISPS Code is implemented properly in Nigeria.
