Thursday 31 October 2019

OTL 2019: Dakuku Advocates Dedicated Cargo Ports


·        As Oil, Maritime Experts Discus Efficiency of Shipping in Africa
·        NIMASA Wins Award for Contribution to Downstream Sector
As Africa continues to consider strategies for improving the efficiency of shipping in the continent, the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has suggested the introduction of designated ports to handle particular cargoes. Dakuku made the call at the four-day Oil Trading and Logistics Expo (OTL 2019) held at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
L-R: Assistant Director, Surveillance, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Captain David Oboma, who represented the Director General, NIMASA, and Chief Isaac Jolapamo, Former President of Nigerian Ship Owners Association  (NISA) during the 13th Oil Trade and Logistics (OTL) Conference in Lagos.

The forum, a veritable platform for the recognition of key stakeholders who have played significant roles in the advancement of the maritime sector, saw NIMASA picking an award for its contributions to the growth of shipping, which has helped the development of the downstream sector.  


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The annual OTL Africa Downstream Week, which is widely acknowledged as Africa’s biggest platform for downstream oil and gas businesses, brought together experts and stakeholders in the oil and gas as well as maritime sectors from across the continent and beyond to discuss the way forward for the shipping industry. The theme for this year, the 13th edition of the conference, was “Achieving Downstream Competitiveness through Growth, Innovation, and Technology.”

In his address at the conference, which ended on Wednesday, Dakuku identified measures that could help to improve efficiency and service delivery in the maritime sector. Represented by NIMASA’s Assistant Director, Surveillance, Captain David Oboma, the Director-General stated, “In line with global best practices, there are several measures that we should give serious consideration if we are to improve upon the efficiency of our industry. Firstly, we must reduce vessel turnaround times at our ports and terminals to minimise logjams, which have a knock-on negative effect on the entire system chain.
“The introduction of dedicated ports to handle specific cargoes, as obtains in world leading ports, would also greatly improve on our service delivery and efficiency.”

Dakuku, who spoke during a session with the theme, Ship to Shore and Efficiency of Shipping Petroleum and Crude Oil Cargo, also said, “Improving upon the draft capacity by dredging our existing ports to widen the scope of vessels which can berth would help to eradicate the need for Ship-to-Ship transfers at sea.
“However, in striving for efficiency, we must not forget safety as a key consideration in shore to ship operations.”

Those in attendance at the session chaired by renowned maritime law expert, Mr. Emeka Akabogu, included the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas, who was represented by Director of Operations, Naval Headquarters, Rear Admiral Ibikunle Olaiya; President, Ship owners’ Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Dr. McGeorge Onyung; President of Nigeria Ship-Owners Association (NISA) and CEO, Sea Transport Services Nigeria Limited, Mr Aminu Umar; and Group General Manager, Shipping, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mrs. Aisha Ahmadu Katagum.

Speaking at the session, Umar bemoaned the amount of bureaucracy that continued to hamper the ease of doing business in Nigeria’s territorial waters. He identified insecurity as a persistent menace to the maritime sector as it meant high cost of doing business in Nigeria.

On his part, Onyung lamented the absence of Nigerian-owned vessels conducting business within Nigerian waters. He said there was an urgent need to empower Nigerians to own vessels.

Industry experts used the opportunity to push for fully owned Nigerian vessels to be given the chance to lift crude oil, saying it would be a big boost to indigenous shipping and job creation.

Earlier at the event’s Awards Dinner, NIMASA was given an award of honour in recognition of its contribution towards the growth of the downstream sector.

Nigerian Wins Global Maritime Essay Competition


·        NIMASA DG, Others Meet to Advance World Maritime    
A Nigerian, Iorliam Simon Tersoo, has won the Future Maritime Leaders essay competition organised by the Global Maritime Forum. Tersoo’s article titled, “Emerging Technologies: Autonomous Shipping and Seafarers’ Continuous Professional (Ir) Relevance,” was among top three essays selected from 140 shortlisted entries from 46 countries that participated in the annual competition.


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The Maritime Safety Officer at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the other two winners made compelling presentations on their essays at the ongoing Global Maritime Forum in Singapore, where the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, is a major participant. Dakuku is one of three leaders in Africa invited to the exclusive industry forum, which focuses on addressing the burning issues in the maritime industry and proffering viable strategies to meet the challenges of the future.

Tersoo wrote on how to prepare the next generation of seafarers for digitalised ships, which is believed to be the future of shipping. He anchored his write-up to the bourgeoning technological innovation, Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS), which the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) defines as a ship which “can operate independently of human interaction.”  

His essay painted the picture of a future where ships will be fully digitalised, automated, autonomously piloted, and controlled from both onshore and offshore. He described this as the next phase of disruptive innovation in shipping.

Tersoo acknowledged the immense benefits of the autonomous shipping regime but identified a major challenge of the innovation as the threat posed to the jobs of the over 1.5 seafarers working onboard ships worldwide. To address this challenge, he said the committee on Human Element Training and Watch-keeping (HTW) of IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) “will have to re-organise the curriculum of Maritime Training Institutions (MTIs) globally to embrace this new trend, tilting seafarers training more towards maritime information communications technology (ICT) and regulations that can enable them to participate effectively in the technological revolution.” He also recommended the retraining of existing seafarers to fit into the new digital era.    

Tersoo, a product of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), had worked on board a vessel and is now fully involved in regulatory duties at NIMASA. So he had the opportunity of seeing both sides of the life of a seafarer.  He attributed his success in the essay competition to the push for a knowledge driven organisation by the current leadership of NIMASA, saying he is challenged daily by leadership and innovation at the Agency.

Two other essays written by Yiqi Zhang, a 30-year-old PhD Student at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China, and Line Fryd Hofmansen, a 26-year-old Management Consultant at PA Consulting Group, Denmark, were among the winning entries.

According to the Global Maritime Forum, “The competition aims to give students and young professionals aged 18-30 a voice in the debate about how the maritime industry can sustainably address maritime challenges and opportunities – and the industry a chance to listen.”

The winners of the competition won a chance to attend the Global Maritime Forum Annual Summit 2019 in Singapore, all expenses covered, together with 200 leaders from inside and outside the maritime industry, where they will represent the voice of the young generations.

“The Future Maritime Leaders essay competition represents an invaluable opportunity for young people aspiring to become the leaders of the future to meet and engage with senior maritime stakeholders,” the Global Maritime Forum added.

IMB REPORTS 30% PIRACY DROP AS NIGERIA’S DEEP BLUE PROJECT KICKS IN


The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has reported a drop in piracy attacks in Nigeria in the third quarter of 2019. IMB said in its latest report, “Nigeria has reduced Q3 piracy attacks from 41 in 2018 to 29 in 2019," which represents nearly 30 per cent year-on-year reduction.


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This is as the Deep Blue Project, a comprehensive maritime security architecture initiated by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), in collaboration with the military and other security agencies, comes into operation.

The piracy reporting body also said there was a decrease in global piracy incidents during the first nine months of 2019, compared with the corresponding period in 2018, in a fall to a five-year low.

Director of IMB, a specialised division of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Pottengal Mukundan, said, ‘’119 incidents have been reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Center in 2019, compared to 156 incidents for the same period in 2018. Overall, the 2019 incidents include 95 vessels boarded, 10 vessels fired upon, 10 attempted attacks, and four vessels hijacked. The number of crew taken hostage through the first nine months has declined from 112 in 2018 to 49 in 2019.”

However, according to IMB, piracy and armed robbery attacks remain a challenge in the Gulf of Guinea.

The decline in piracy and armed robbery attacks on vessels came as the Deep Blue Project, Nigeria’s Integrated Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, began to yield results. The project is handled by an Israeli firm, Homeland Security International (HLSI). It involves the training of field and technical operatives drawn from the various strata of the security services and NIMASA as well as acquisition of assets to combat maritime crime, such as fast intervention vessels, surveillance aircraft, and other facilities, and establishment of a command and control centre for data collection and information sharing to aid targeted enforcement.

The Deep Blue Project aims at building a formidable integrated surveillance and security architecture that will broadly combat maritime crime and criminalities in Nigeria’s waterways up to the Gulf of Guinea.

The timing of the IMB report also coincides with the conclusion of the Global Maritime Security Conference (GMSC 2019) hosted by Nigeria, and coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Transportation and NIMASA, under the theme, “Managing and Securing our Waters.”

With the stated objective of, among others, defining the nature and scope of coordinated responses to maritime insecurity in relation to interventions, the conference enabled global maritime leaders to review the progress made in the fight against maritime crime while charting strategies for the future.

Marine Environment: Nigeria Committed to Effective Ballast Water Management – Dakuku


·        IMO Advocates Harmonised Enforcement  
 The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, 2004. Dakuku also said NIMASA remained determined to ensure cleaner oceans and a safe, secure and environmentally sound maritime sector.


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The Director-General stated these in his keynote address at the opening of a three-day regional workshop on Ballast Water Management for Anglophone West and Central African Countries, hosted by Nigeria in Lagos. He said growing concerns about the adverse effect on the marine environment of invasive alien species produced by ballast carried by ships gave rise to the BWM convention of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

He stated, “Since the advent of the Convention, efforts have been made to ensure effective implementation of its provisions, among which is this Regional Workshop.

“The Regional Workshop, in essence, is to support the timely and harmonised implementation of the Convention in the West and Central African Sub-Region with priority and emphasis on the ratification and implementation of the Convention by member states. This is in addition to building capacity in the area of Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement (CME), Port Biological Baseline Surveys (PBBC), and risk assessment.”
Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside flanked by Technical Officer, Sub-Division for Prospective Measures, Marine Environment Division, Dr. Megan Jensen (r) and Director, International Ocean Institute, African Region Office, Mr. Adnan Awad at the opening of a three-day workshop on Ballast Water Management, hosted by Nigeria in Lagos.  

Dakuku disclosed that Nigeria, being among the earliest countries to ratify the Convention, had taken steps to ensure its effective implementation. Such steps, according to him, include: the development and gazetting of regulations on Ballast Water Management, pursuant to the Nigerian Merchant Shipping Act, 2007; development of an enforcement and implementation manual on ships’ ballast water; and development of guidelines with reference to relevant IMO documents for ballast water reception facility and exchange areas.
Others are: development of guidelines for enforcement of violations of the regulation on ballast water management; establishment of a globally recognised and integrated ballast water testing laboratory; and development of a home-grown concept of Ballast Water Management and Ports with Acceptable Risk (PWAR), which was presented by Nigeria to the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 74, in May 2019, among other initiatives.

Dakuku told the workshop participants to come up with meaningful recommendations and actions that would help realise the objectives of the convention. He called for more collaborative efforts in the region to ensure effective protection of the environment.

On his part, Secretary-General of IMO, Mr. Kitack Lim, who was represented by the Technical Officer, Sub-Division for Prospective Measures, Marine Environment Division, Dr. Megan Jensen, noted that the marine environment and marine resources were vital to the global economy and sustainable economic growth. He said there was an urgent need for implementation of a harmonised ballast water management regime around the world, with special focus on compliance, monitoring, and enforcement.

The Ballast Water Management Convention was adopted in 2004 to minimise the risk of species invasions through ballast water. The Convention entered into force on September 8, 2017, and, currently, 81 countries have ratified it, including Nigeria, which was among the first five countries to endorse the treaty.

The workshop had in attendance delegates from Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, and Liberia. 

Wednesday 9 October 2019

Abuja Declaration: Move To Treat Maritime Crime Proceeds Like Blood Diamond

  
·        Information Sharing, Joint Operations, Key To Security In Gulf Of Guinea-UK
Delegates at the Global Maritime Security Conference (GMSC) rose yesterday from the three days engagement from Monday 7th to Wednesday 9th October, at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, with a firm declaration to globally criminalise acts of insecurity and proceeds from illegal maritime activities from the zone as was with the case of the “Blood Diamonds.”


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R-L: DG, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Chief of Policy and Plan, Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Begroy Ibe-Enwo, Representative of Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Coordinator, Seas and Oceans Affairs, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Daniele Bosis during the International Press Conference at the end of the Global Maritime Security Conference (GMSC), held in Abuja from October 7-9, 2019.  

In a communiqué, termed Abuja Declaration on the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) crisis at the end of the conference, which was attended by delegates from about 80 countries, the conferees also agreed to constitute a “GMSC expert working group” to drive the implementation of the decisions arising from the gathering in liaison with ECOWAS, ECCAS, ICC, and other international partners.  
The communiqué session chaired by the Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, and read by Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, in front of about 2000 participants from nearly 80 countries, resolved that “Gulf of Guinea States and the international community should put mechanisms in place to ensure that resources that are illegally harvested/explored in the GoG, including stolen oil and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishery, are intentionally banned as was the case with the ‘blood diamonds’”, the communique said.
The conference called for collaboration among the navies, coast guards, and maritime authorities of countries in the Gulf of Guinea and other continental and international maritime nations. It said countries in the Gulf of Guinea should intensify maritime capacity and infrastructure building efforts to push the objectives effectively.
According to the communique, “GoG States should explore the possibility of designated maritime courts to handle cases of sea robbery, piracy and other maritime offences to ensure quick dispensation of cases in addition to capacity building and sensitisation of judiciary on crucial relevant legislation.”
It further urged the GoG states to put more efforts to implement various agreed strategies at the continental, regional and national levels. “GoG States with the support of regional organisations like the ECOWAS, ECCAS, ICC and relevant international organisations should continue to ratify and fully domesticate the provisions of the relevant international conventions including UNCLOS 1982, SUA and Port States Measures Agreement.”
It also said, “GoG States should strengthen, including funding, national, zonal and regional maritime domain awareness centres to enhance information sharing and coordination”.
The GoG States were encouraged to sustain regular meeting of heads of states, heads of navies/coast guards and other maritime enforcement agencies on issues of maritime security for mutual benefit. In addition, relevant regional maritime agencies, industry experts/representatives were charged to come up with informed policy decisions on maritime security and related issues.
The conference equally noted, “GoG States should engage in maritime spatial planning of coastal and urban areas to ensure that maritime security vulnerabilities are not created particularly in proximity to critical maritime infrastructure.
“GoG States should explore opportunities for maritime law enforcement through targeted engagement with coastal and fishing communities to support maritime security efforts.”
Speaking during an international press conference to close the meeting, the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, emphasised the need for prompt actions to realise the implementation of the recommendations. Dakuku said the proposed expert working group should be established in the next few months.   
Earlier at a press briefing, Richard Morris of the United Kingdom Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) Programme, an arm of the British Ministry of Defence, called for teamwork among countries in the Gulf of Guinea. Morris called for deliberate efforts to dismantle legal, institutional, and territorial impediments to joint security actions in the region.
He noted that the British government was prepared to support countries in the region to achieve their maritime security aspirations. Earlier speakers from France, Demark, United States, Japan, the European Union, and a host of other countries pledged their readiness to contribute to the security efforts in the Gulf of Guinea.
The GoG conference with the theme, “Managing and Securing our Waters,” was convened by the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Nigerian Navy, and NIMASA. It was aimed at finding solution to the problem of maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.      

Monday 7 October 2019

GoG: With Global Effort, Our Waters Will Be Safe – Buhari


·        Amaechi: Collaboration, Most Valuable Solution to Insecurity in GoG
·        Dakuku Advocates More Profound Global Response

President Muhammadu Buhari has said the Federal Government remains 
determined to rid the country’s waters of all forms of criminalities, 
stressing that with the cooperation of the international community, the entire 
maritime domain of the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) would be free from piracy. Buhari 
stated this on Monday in Abuja in his keynote address at the opening of the 
Global Maritime Security Conference (GMSC). The conference, the first on the 
GoG, was hosted by the Federal Ministry of Transportation, in partnership with 
the Nigerian Navy, to find solution to the security issues in the Gulf of Guinea. 
He said the efforts of the government to fight maritime insecurity were 
already yielding fruit, quoting statistics by the International Maritime Bureau 
(IMB) piracy reporting centre.


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Minister of Transportation Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi said global collaboration was
 the best answer to the problem of insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea. And 
Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency 
(NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, called for intensified global response to the 
security problems in the Gulf of Guinea. 

L-R: Senator Ita Enang, Dr. Dakuku Peterside,The Chief
of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas, The Perm sec.
 FMOT, Sabiu Zakari, Representative of Minister of
Defense, Hajia Nuratu Jimoh Batagarwa,  Minister of
State for Transportation, Gbemisola Ruqqayah Saraki;
Ambassador Zubairu Dada, Nigeria Minister of State for
Foreign Affair, Senator Danjuma Goje, Senator AHmed Yerima and others at the
Global Maritime Security Conference ongoing in Abuja


Noting that there had been a reduction in the rate of insecurity in the Gulf of 
Guinea (GoG), Buhari stated, “The convening of this timely conference here in 
Nigeria is an indication that we will not relent in efforts to rid our waters of the 
piracy scourge. To succeed in our objective, a collective effort from all 
stakeholders represented here today is essential.”

The President said as Africa proceeded with the second phase of negotiations for 
the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA), safety and 
security of sea transportation were critical to seamless trade and effective 
economic integration. “Our approach, therefore, towards the realisation of 
maritime security in the region and other vital sea lanes is contingent on our 
collective effort and ability to put in place international, continental, regional and 
national frameworks and resources in cooperation with critical stakeholders,” Buhari said.

The President noted recent efforts by Nigeria to secure its waters, including the 
enactment of a standalone antipiracy law, in line with the requirements of the 
International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the first of its kind in West and 
Central Africa, ratification of international treaties, and the establishment of an 
Integrated National Surveillance and Waterways Protection infrastructure.
Buhari also disclosed that the Federal Government was working on a Maritime 
Transport Plan intended to provide a robust framework for effective maritime 
transportation in the country.

In his remarks, Amaechi said collaboration was the most valuable solution to the 
issues of insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea. The minister, who was represented by 
the Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, stated, “The 
most valuable element at the heart of the solution we seek is collaboration and 
partnership’. I have no doubt in my mind that this conference will push the 
realisation of the security solution we seek for the Gulf of Guinea and the global 
shipping community.”
Dakuku, in his welcome address, advocated a more profound global response to 
the issues of piracy and maritime criminality, saying this is the essence of the 
conference.
He said, “Nigeria has taken the initiative by convening this global conference to 
examine the maritime security challenges in the region. Nigeria is keen to drive 
this initiative because it is a significant destination in the international and 
domestic shipping map, accounting for over 65% of cargo generated from the 
Gulf of Guinea region and with rich endowments in oil and gas reserves.”
He identified the objectives of the conference to include defining the scope of 
coordinated regional responses to maritime insecurity vis-à-vis intervention 
support from external actors and partners, evaluating the relevance and impacts 
of the various interventions, and moving towards policy harmonisation and 
practical implementation through regional integration and cooperation as a 
principal method for delivering effective and efficient security in the region.

The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas, said drawing from the 
total spectrum maritime strategy, the Nigerian Navy had sustained the operational
 concept of Maritime Trinity of Action comprising surveillance capabilities,
response initiatives and law enforcement to combat maritime crimes.

Secretary General of IMO, Mr. Kitack Lim, in his goodwill message delivered by 
Assistant Secretary General Lawrence Barchue, stated IMO’s support for 
member-states’ efforts to enhance maritime security.

“Working together is something that IMO is fully onboard with; together we can 
team up to deploy resources from all stakeholders in order to comprehensively 
address maritime insecurity within the region,” he said. 

Other speakers at the event include Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir 
Salihi (Rtd); Executive Secretary, Gulf of Guinea Commission, Florentina Adenike 
Ukonga; Chairperson, African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat; as well 
as the ECOWAS and ECCAS Presidents. 







6 Attachments


38 Navies, 27 Coast Guards Expected at Global Maritime Security Confab – Dakuku


·        Forum to Produce Declaration on Maritime Security in Gulf of Guinea
Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, says a robust collection of international maritime security stakeholders have confirmed their attendance at the Global Maritime Security Conference (GMSC) scheduled to hold in Abuja from October 7 to 9. The conference is organised to address pertinent security issues in the Gulf of Guinea maritime domain.
DG. NIMASA

Speaking in Abuja, Dakuku decried the scourge of maritime insecurity, especially in the Gulf of Guinea. He said there was an urgent need for international collaboration to tackle the menace, emphasising that the conference would come up with a formal declaration on solutions to maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.


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“Dealing with the issues of piracy and maritime crime requires inter-agency collaboration as well as regional collaboration between sister agencies in the participating countries,” he stated.

Dakuku said about eight Chiefs of Naval Staff from Africa, 16 representatives of Chiefs of Naval Staff from the continent, and representatives of Chiefs of Naval Staff from Brazil, United States, and some European countries were expected at the conference.

He stated, “So, we have full representation. We have navies from 38 countries coming for the conference, including two Rear Admirals from the United States. The global naval community is well represented at the conference. We are also bringing the Head of Liberian Coast Guard, we are bringing the heads of coast guards from 27 countries. We have clearly confirmed over 500 foreigners coming for the conference and over 2,000 persons have registered for the Global Maritime Security Conference.”   

Dakuku, who is also Chairman of the Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA), added, “This is a tactical conference between developing countries, developed countries and high international partners to find solution to a problem that is affecting global commerce.

“Ninety per cent of commerce is conducted via seaborne trade, so whatever affects seaborne trade affects global commerce and has direct impact on development and quality of living of a people.

“At the end of the conference, we are expected to come up with the Abuja Declaration on Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea, which will be a document that will be a consensus agreement of all participants regarding what needs to be done to address the deteriorating situation. There will be a defined roadmap to deal with maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.”

He said during the live interview on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) that getting global institutions, bilateral and multilateral agencies, and nations of the world to partner in order to make a clear statement on how to deal with the security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea was the ultimate goal of the forum.
The conference is being hosted by the Federal Ministry of Transportation, in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy. It is the first of its kind in the Gulf of Guinea and follows in the tradition of similar events held globally.

The objectives of the conference include defining the precise nature and scope of coordinated regional responses to maritime insecurity, evaluating the relevance of various external interventions, and moving towards policy harmonisation and regional cooperation.

The conference will also tackle cyber security threats, while advocating deeper global commitment to the deployment of resources for ending maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea region in the shortest time possible.

Abducted 5 members of maritime workers union, others regain freedom

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