Following Nigeria’s removal from the list of countries designated as risk maritime nations by the International Bargaining Forum, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has disclosed its resolve to ensure a reduction in shipping costs.
The Director General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, made this public in a statement issued in reaction to the IBF report.
He described it as a landmark achievement under the administration of the President Muhammadu Buhari
According to Jamoh, this achievement is a product of a well-structured multimodal policy that has been implemented over the years to fight piracy and other criminalities in Nigerian waters.
“The legal instrument called SPOMO Act signed into law by President Buhari in 2019, the full implementation of the Deep Blue Project by NIMASA, expanded assets and capacity of the Nigerian Navy, enhanced cooperation between NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy and the regional collaborative efforts under the umbrella of SHADE Gulf of Guinea midwife by NIMASA.
“These are all policies of the current administration and the benefits are gradually coming to fruition. We are focused on ultimately improving and reducing the cost of commercial shipping in Nigeria.”
According to the statement, maritime institutions like the International Maritime Bureau and the International Maritime Organisation have commended the reduction in piracy in Nigeria, following enhanced patrol and relevant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) entered by NIMASA with other security agencies.
The statement added that the international Bargaining Forum, which is a body that brings together the International Transport Federation and the international maritime employers that make up the Joint Negotiating Group, listed five designated risk areas and applicable benefits in the event of attacks leading to deaths and disability, mentioning the Gulf of Guinea as second extended war risk zone, covering Liberia/Ivory Coast border to 00°N 005°E to the Angola/ Namibia border.
The 2023 IBF list called for double compensation for seafarers who die or suffer disability due to attacks on vessels in the Gulf of Guinea.
