COVID-19: NIMASA ISSUES ADVISORY ON VESSELS FROM HIGH RISK COUNTRIES

COVID-19: NIMASA ISSUES ADVISORY ON VESSELS FROM HIGH RISK COUNTRIES

The Management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has notified stakeholders about 13 vessels from five countries heavily affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Eight of the vessels are expected to berth in Apapa, Lagos; four in Bonny, Rivers State; and one in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. 

Dr. Bashir Jamoh

DG. NIMASA

Information about the vessels, expected to arrive the three Nigerian ports between June 23 and July 17, was received through the Command, Control, Communication, Computer, and Intelligence System (C4i) Centre under the NIMASA Deep Blue Project, also called the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure.

Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, said the need to ensure stakeholders adhered strictly to the guidelines put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria informed the decision to red-flag the vessels.

“We are counting on the continued cooperation of frontline government agencies and private sector operators in this regard as we jointly wage the war against the COVID-19 pandemic,” Jamoh stated. 

The Director-General said the advisory was to further alert all agencies of government and private sector operators at the ports of expected arrival of the vessels and to demand the highest level of professionalism from all concerned officers in keeping with the Agency’s earlier advice on the handling of such vessels. He added that operators at the ports should ensure all safety measures and precautions in the best interest of the maritime community and the country were fully applied. 

NIMASA had earlier given an advisory through a marine notice on the operational procedures for the ingress and egress of vessels arriving from such countries. Officers of agencies concerned were requested to immediately report any situation or circumstance that might compromise best practices in handling the arrival and discharge of these vessels and others that might be advised in the future.

Below is the list of vessels and the details of their expected voyage to Nigerian ports. 

LIST OF VESSELS ARRIVING NIGERIA FROM HIGH RISK COVID-19 PANDEMIC COUNTRIES

S/N	NAME OF VESSEL	PREVIOUS PORT OF CALL	DESTINATION	ETA
1.	EBONY RAY	United States	Apapa-Lagos	23/06/2020
2.	NORD SUPREME	United Kingdom, Immingham	Apapa-Lagos	25/06/2020
3.	GASLOG WARSAW	Spain, Ferrol	Bonny, Nigeria	26/06/2020
4.	DESERT PEACE	United States, Houston	Apapa-Lagos	26/06/2020
5.	SHANGHAI EAGLE	Spain, Garrucha	Apapa-Lagos	25/06/2020
6.	KATRINA THERESA	Spain Algeciras Bay	Apapa, Lagos	25/06/2020
7.	HARMONIC	Spain, Escomberas	Bonny, Nigeria	27/06/2020
8.	DESERT HOPE	Brazil Santos	Apapa-Lagos	01/07/2020
9.	STENA CLEAR SKY	India, Dahej	Bonny, Nigeria	04/07/2020
10.	MUSKY	United States	Port Harcourt, Nigeria	07/07/2020
11.	VECTIS OSPREY	United States, Houston	Apapa-Lagos	11/07/2020
12.	GRANDE ISLAND	United States, Houston	Apapa-Lagos	11/07/2020
13.	LNG BONNY II	India, Dahej	Bonny Nigeria	17/07/2020

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MARITIME: NIGERIA DEVELOPING POLICIES TO IMPROVE SEAFARERS’ TRAINING, CERTIFICATION, REMUNERATION

… Seafarers are Key to Humanity’s Survival, Wellbeing Amid COVID-19-Jamoh

…  As NIMASA Gives Palliatives to Seafarers

Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has disclosed that there are policies in the pipeline to improve the quality of training and certification, as well as remuneration for the country’s seafarers. Jamoh stated this on Thursday in Lagos during a webinar hosted by NIMASA to mark the Day of the Seafarer.

Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, (left), with the President General of Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju at the celebration of Day of the Seafarer 2020: 'Seafarers Are Key Workers'. The event was held at NIMASA Headquaters, June 25, 2020.  

The session featured local and international participation, with the key speaker and consultant at Transbasin Limited, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Karen Ogidigben Onimisi, and Nigerian Labour Attaché at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Switzerland, Essah Aniefiok Etim, calling for better welfare and support for seafarers.

The Director-General stated, “Policies are in the pipeline to improve the quality of training and certificates we give to the seafarers. We are taking steps to standardise the curriculum of our training institutions in line with international standards.

Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, (left), with the President General of Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju at the celebration of Day of the Seafarer 2020: 'Seafarers Are Key Workers'. 

The event was held at NIMASA Headquaters, June 25, 2020.  

“We are also working on increasing the remuneration of our seafarers. These policies would be announced as soon as we complete work on them.”   

He said seafarers were among the most courageous people in the world, stressing that the theme for this year’s Day of the Seafarer, “Seafarers are Key Workers,” is a “testament to the fact that the world cannot do without seafarers. Seafarers hold the key to humanity’s survival on a day-to-day basis.

“They hold the key to our wellbeing in this time of COVID-19 period.”

Jamoh praised seafarers for sustaining the global supply chain, distributing urgently needed medical supplies with enormous risk to their lives and families.

“The seafarers are unsung heroes, they are also our invisible heroes. We see their handwork everyday and everywhere in agricultural machinery, the food we eat, and the unbroken run of the manufacturing base, despite the global lockdown.”

The Director-General spoke on the challenges faced by seafarers amid the coronavirus pandemic, including stringent work conditions in some countries, movement restrictions, lockdowns, crew change difficulties, fatigue and seasickness, and disruption of contracts.

But he said, “As a regular, we have taken steps to alleviate the suffering of the seafarers. NIMASA was among the first government agencies to declare seafarers as being on essential duty, and we published this in a marine notice. We also issued COVID-19 guidelines to incoming ships towards ensuring that there is no importation of the virus by sea. 

“NIMASA was the first in West Africa to issue a COVID-19 marine notice.

“We challenged ship-owners and employers of seafarers to take necessary proactive measures to lessen the pains of seafarers.

“We also walked in lockstep with the IMO to tailor all our marine notices in the early period of COVID-19 towards supporting the extension of the validity of  seafarers’ certificates, crew change, guidelines, procedure and their designation as essential workers.”

Jamoh added, “It is said that a good sailor weathers the storm he cannot avoid; COVID-19 was a storm Seafarers couldn’t avoid. As tried and tested seamen and women, our seafarers have continued to weather this storm for us. We celebrate you today. Nigeria thanks you, the world appreciates you, NIMASA as a regulator will never abandon you. We will support you all the way.”

Karen, who is Director, Maritime Sector Consultant at Transbasin Limited, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, called on the international community to render necessary assistance to seafarers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. She commended NIMASA for supporting seafarers during the pandemic and emphasised the need for Nigeria to develop post-pandemic measures to make the country’s seafarers internationally marketable and competitive.  

Karen said, “Seafarers are part of the global supply chain and should have access to shore leave at ports in accordance with global regulations. There is also a need to look at improved ways to mitigate the challenges that COVID-19 has brought before us, commencing with digitalisation of our processes, including local training and licensing of Nigerian seafarers.”

Etim, who is ILO Nigerian Labour Attaché, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations in Switzerland, sued for better working conditions for seafarers. He called for greater opportunities to make their voices heard, saying they should be encouraged through appropriate rewards and compensations.

As part of the activities marking the day, NIMASA donated to the seafarers items that included essential commodities,  Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), facemasks, and hand sanitisers.  

The Day of the Seafarer, marked June 25 every year worldwide, is a day set aside by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to celebrate seafarers and recognise their invaluable contribution to the global economy. This year’s virtual event, themed, “Seafarers are Keyworkers”, held via WebEx, specifically draws attention to the critical role and challenges of seafarers in the COVID 19 period.

MARITIME: DEEP BLUE PROJECT TO SECURE ALL ANCHORAGE AREAS – FG

… NIMASA, NPA Agree On Wreck Removal To Ease Navigation

… Jamoh, Hadiza Reiterate Commitment to Floating Dock Commencing Operation July

The Federal Government has concluded arrangements to make the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also called the Deep Blue Project, the central security structure for all anchorage areas in the Nigerian maritime domain. This is to reduce the cost of shipping of goods into the country. Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, disclosed this today in Lagos after a meeting with the Executive Management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) led by the Director General Dr. Bashir Jamoh, at the Agency’s Headquarters in Lagos.

L-R: Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Chudi Offodile, Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh and Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services during the official first visit NPA’s MD to NIMASA Headquarters, June 23, 2020.   

The NPA MD also disclosed that both Agencies have agreed to work out modalities for effective removal of all wrecks and derelicts that may hinder navigations in the Nigerian waters. 

According to the NPA MD, NIMASA and NPA are sister Agencies and should be seen to be collaborating more for the growth of the maritime industry and the country generally. She also disclosed that arrangements are in top gear to berth the NIMASA floating Dockyard permanently in order for it to commence operations in July.

“we had a range of discussions bordering on the Secure Anchorage Area which our supervising Ministry desires the  Deep Blue Project to provide security  for all anchorage areas in the country. Aside saving the country a lot of money, it will ensure that the security of the Nigerian Maritime domain is given a focal attention”.

Hadiza also disclosed that both Agencies agreed to interlink the C3i of the NPA and C4i of NIMASA in order to interchange information that would assist the Nigerian Navy’s response to security.

“we have the C3i Command, Control and Intelligence center at NPA and  NIMASA has the c4i while the Navy has falcon eye. We need to interlink these facilities and we believe that this would assist the country in response to maritime security threats”.

Corroborating Hadiza’s stance, Dr. Bashir Jamoh reiterated the fact that there was need to harmonize most of the working models amongst all maritime Agencies to avoid duplication of duties which also leads to more costs. 

Jamoh said the Secure Anchorage Area which has been a subject of debate amongst stakeholders would now be covered under the multi spectrum security architecture popularly known as the Deep Blue Project. 

“There is absolutely no need for us to have private security in our maritime space. You are aware that this increases the cost of Shipping in our country. By the time the the Deep Blue Project becomes fully operational, the cost of shipping would drastically reduce”.

The NIMASA DG also pointed out that barring any unforeseen circumstances, the floating Dockyard should be operational by the end of July. A facility he said will employ hundreds of Nigerians directly and also earn huge amount in revenue for the country. 

“We are finalizing arrangements with the NPA to get a permanent berth for the floating Dockyard and by the end of July this facility should be operational. The interesting thing is that aside earning a huge amount of revenue, it also has the capacity to employ over 300 Nigerian youths directly”.

The meeting is seen as a major step towards effective collaborations by both Agencies to enhance security in the Nigerian Maritime domain in order to achieve growth for the industry. 

NIGERIA BEGINS TRIAL OF PIRATES UNDER NEW LAW THIS WEEK

•          Our Waters Now Safer For Shipping, Says Nimasa Director-General

•          Agency Mulls Incentives For Maritime Sector, Assures Of Cvff Disbursement Soon  

•          You Have Our Full Support – President, Guild Of Editors 

Dr. Bashir Jamoh

DG. NIMASA

Aiming to rid Nigeria’s waterways of criminalities and reassure the global community that it is getting on top of the security issues in its maritime domain, the country will this week commence the prosecution of suspected pirates under the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act. Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, disclosed this during interactions with journalists in Lagos. 

From Right; Executive Director, Operations,  NIMASA,  Shehu Ahmed, Executive Director, Finance and Administration Hon. Chudi Offodile, Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh,  Publisher of Shipping World Magazine, Mr. Asu Beks, Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Barr. Victor Ochei and Publisher Business and Maritime Magazine, Mr Okey Ibeke, during the Director-General's engagement with Maritime Editors in Lagos

Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh (2nd left), flanked by Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Barr. Victor Ochei (left), Executive Director, Finance and Administration Hon. Chudi Offodile (2nd right) and Executive Director, Operations, Shehu Ahmed, during the Director-General's engagement with Maritime Editors in Lagos

The Nigerian Navy had arrested the pirates recently, with intelligence support from NIMASA, and their trial will be the first under the antipiracy law signed in June last year by President Muhammadu Buhari. The law made Nigeria the first in West and Central Africa to have a standalone antipiracy legislation. 

Jamoh said the Agency was mounting a spirited campaign to root out piracy and armed robbery in the country’s waters.  He said Nigeria’s waters were now safer for navigation, as the proactive approach of NIMASA to safety and security at sea had started yielding fruits. This is evidenced in the multiple arrests of suspected pirates in the second quarter of the year, he said. 

The Director-General revealed that NIMASA had sent a proposal to the Federal Government on the issue of providing incentives for stakeholders in the maritime sector. The Federal Ministry of Transportation is also putting final touches to arrangements for the disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), he revealed, stressing that operators in the maritime industry would soon begin to access the fund.

He said fighting crime with intelligence and technology had been the hallmark of his administration in the battle against piracy since it came on board three months ago. 

Members of the Fourth Estate, who were at the briefings, pledged their full support for the Agency’s efforts to get rid of the pernicious obstacles to safe and secure navigation in the country’s waters.

Jamoh, who launched a three-point agenda focused on Maritime Safety, Maritime Security, and Shipping Development, with the acronym 3s, on assumption of office, stated, “Collapsing our agenda into security, safety and shipping development has given us a bird’s-eye view of the challenges inherent in our sector. Our strategy of nipping piracy in the bud is yielding positive fruit and that is why the Navy and the Police have arrested a total of 27 suspected pirates in the last two months.” 

He added, “Our findings have revealed that these criminals work with the cooperation of international allies and that is what makes them sophisticated. We have set out to tackle them through intelligence gathering and collaboration with relevant stakeholders. Our recent arrests have shown the international community that we are not handling illegalities in our waters with kid gloves.”

He expressed delight in the changing international opinion on safety and security in Nigerian waters, as seen in a recent congratulatory letter by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO} to Nigeria for its zeal to make the country’s waters safe and secure.

On the question of incentives for the maritime sector, Jamoh stated, “We have made proposals to President Muhammadu Buhari through the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, for approval to grant different kinds of incentives that would help us grow the industry. We are also working to ensure the disbursement of the CVFF. We believe that other sectors, like manufacturing and aviation, have leveraged on this sort of incentive to grow and that is the reason we are also looking in that direction.”

Jamoh also spoke on the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), saying it is being redesigned to make it more effective. 

He appealed to the media to ensure adequate and fair reportage of the activities of NIMASA, Nigeria’s maritime industry regulatory agency, in order to properly inform and educate the public. He said the sector had the potential to exponentially grow the Nigerian economy, given the enormous flora and fauna in the maritime environment, besides mineral resources and shipping activities.

Speaking during the engagements, President, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mustapha Isah, said the media was willing to support NIMASA to achieve its mandate. Isah said the success of the Agency was vital to the whole country. He urged his colleagues to give more attention to maritime in their reports.

NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy have recently been getting commendations for their efforts to ensure security in the country’s territorial waters and the Gulf of Guinea.

Photo news: Nimasa embarks on solidarity visit to maritime stakeholders

L-R: Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh in a photograph with Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas when the NIMASA DG paid him a working visit at the Naval Headquarters in Abuja. 

L-R: Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh in a photograph with Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force, Mohammed Adamu when the NIMASA DG paid him a working visit at the Force headquarters in Abuja. 

Antipiracy War: UN Commends NIMASA, Nigerian Navy

·        Says Country Sending ‘Strong, Valuable Message’ to World

·        Pirates in Gulf of Guinea Bolstered by International Collaborators – Jamoh

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO}, the specialised shipping regulatory agency of the United Nations, has delivered a glowing appraisal of Nigeria’s effort to stem piracy in its waters and the Gulf of Guinea, commending the country for sending a “strong and valuable message” to the global community. IMO also commended the new Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, for his brave and dynamic approach to maritime security, in a letter addressed to him by the Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, amid recent arrests and first-time prosecution of suspected pirates under the country’s new antipiracy law.  

Dr. Bahir Jamoh

DG. NIMASA

The Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act was signed into law in June last year by President Muhammadu Buhari. The law made Nigeria the first in West and Central Africa to have a distinct antipiracy legislation.     

Lim said he was impressed by Nigeria’s efforts “to address maritime security threats in the region,” adding that Jamoh’s “leadership and proactive response” to maritime security issues were laudable.

Jamoh had told the IMO Secretary-General at a previous virtual meeting following the arrest of some pirates by the Nigerian Navy, in partnership with NIMASA, that piracy in the region was being sustained by powerful foreign collaboration. He appealed for support from the international community to complement the steps being taken by Nigeria towards ridding the country’s waters of maritime crimes.

“I would also like to reiterate my congratulations to the Nigerian Navy on the successful capture and arrest of pirates from the fishing trawler Hailufeng II, and more recently on the rescue of the crewmembers of the containership Tommi Ritscher,” Lim stated in the letter. “Those actions, together with all the other initiatives you highlighted in our meeting, including progress with the Deep Blue Project, send a strong and valuable message to the international community with respect to the considerable efforts your Government is making to curb piracy and armed robbery against ships in the Gulf of Guinea,” he added.

Jamoh had during the virtual meeting bemoaned the adverse effect of foreign collaboration on Nigeria’s antipiracy effort. He said, “The recent arrests of pirates have opened our eyes to a new and even more dangerous dimension to the issue of piracy and armed robbery in our waters, and that is the issue of foreign collaboration. The arrests involved Nigerians and other nationalities, whose identities I cannot disclose because the cases are under investigation.

“Piracy is taking an international dimension. We now know that pirates and other maritime criminals in our waters and the Gulf of Guinea operate with strong backing from powerful international collaborators.

“So we earnestly desire the cooperation of the international community, individual countries, organisations, and individuals to stem the ugly tide of insecurity in our waters.

“We will continue to do our best and update IMO as we make progress with our strategies.”  

The IMO Secretary-General reiterated the organisation’s readiness to assist NIMASA in the training of personnel and technical assistance, and also declared his willingness to talk to other member countries to assist in that respect.  He said IMO would help to deal with the issue of synergy in laws regarding piracy with other neighbouring countries.

NIMASA had recently improved its collaboration with the Navy and other stakeholders in an effort to change the ugly narrative of piracy and sea robbery in its maritime domain and the Gulf of Guinea. The new collaborative arrangement involves information sharing between NIMASA’s Command, Control, Communication, Computers, and Intelligence Centre (C4i Centre} of the Deep Blue Project, which commenced operations on a 24 hour basis since last year, and the Nigerian Navy’s Falcon Eye to help track and combat criminal elements in the country’s maritime domain. 

The Deep Blue Project, also known as the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, aims to comprehensively tackle insecurity on Nigeria’s territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone, up to the Gulf of Guinea.

On the back of the new partnership between NIMASA and the Navy, the country has made record arrests of pirates, with some already facing prosecution.

The Nigerian Navy recently arrested a vessel, MFV Marine 707, which was engaged in illegal fishing in the country’s waters. Ten pirates who had on May 15 attacked and boarded a Chinese vessel, MV HAILUFANG II, off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire and directed it towards Nigerian waters, were also arrested by the Navy.