NIMASA DG APPOINTED CHAIRMAN CELTRAS, UNIPORT

·        It’s a Great Spur to More Work – Jamoh

The University of Port Harcourt has announced the appointment of the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, as Chairman of the Governing Board of the institution’s Centre for Logistics and Transport Studies. A letter signed by the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Stephen Okodudu, said Dr. Jamoh was chosen by virtue of his position as Director-General of NIMASA, stressing that his appointment “is an eloquent testimony to your outstanding contributions to national development.” 

Dr. Jamoh, an alumnus of the university, was requested to assume office as the new Chairman of the 10 member Governing Board of the Centre for Logistics and Transport Studies, University of Port Harcourt. The Board would be inaugurated at a later date. 

In his acceptance remarks, Dr. Jamoh expressed his appreciation to the university for the recognition, saying it is an encouragement to do more for the improvement of transportation in the country. 

He stated, “I wholeheartedly appreciate this recognition by my great alma mater. It is a huge honour to me, the Agency, and indeed, the entire transport and logistics community. This appointment is a great spur to me to work harder to not only elevate the position of the Centre for Logistics and Transport Studies, University of Port Harcourt, but also improve transportation, generally, at this critical juncture in our national development. 

“I know with God on my side, and the collective support of members of the University of Port Harcourt community, we shall succeed.”

The Centre for Logistics and Transport Studies, University of Port Harcourt, was established in 2012 as a foremost institution for logistics/supply chain and transport management in Nigeria. The Governing Board is charged with the responsibility of identifying and developing strategies for the growth of the Centre and also effective and mutually beneficial relationship with government and industry. 

Other members of the Board are Managing Director/CEO, Delta Marine Limited; representative of the Minister of Transportation; representative of the Rivers State Commissioner for Transport; representative of the Corps Marshal/CEO, Federal Road Safety Corps; National Executive Director, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Nigeria; Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology; Dean, School of Graduate Studies, University of Port Harcourt; Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Port Harcourt; and Acting Director, Centre for Logistics and Transport Studies, University of Port Harcourt.

MARITIME SECURITY, TRADE: Korea, Belgium Pledge More Support for NIMASA

·        Agency Committed to Safe Nigerian Maritime Domain – Jamoh  

South Korea and Belgium have pledged more support for the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in its drive to enhance trade and security in the Nigerian maritime domain.  

Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh (left), presenting a memorabilia to the new Consul-General of the Korean Embassy, His Excellency, Kang Haenggu, when the Korean envoy paid a courtesy call on the Director-General at the Agency’s headquarters in Lagos, recently.

The new Consul-General of the Korean Embassy, His Excellency, Kang Haenggu, and Ambassador Designate of Belgium, His Excellency, Daniel Bertrand, made the promise when they paid courtesy calls on the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, at the Agency’s headquarters in Lagos.

Dr. Jamoh expressed NIMASA’s determination to curb criminal attacks in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea.

The envoys acknowledged the security challenge in the Gulf of Guinea and promised to support Nigeria’s efforts to improve security in its waters.

Addressing the South Korean and Belgian delegations at separate meetings, Dr. Jamoh said the Nigerian government placed high premium on safety and security of shipping in its waters and the Gulf of Guinea, and had invested heavily in maritime security infrastructure.

To confront the menace of maritime criminality head-on, Dr. Jamoh said, “Nigeria has made huge investments in the establishment of a comprehensive maritime security infrastructure. The Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also called the Deep Blue Project, is designed to secure our waters, up to the Gulf of Guinea.

“The project is nearing completion, with more than 80 per cent of the assets, comprising Special Mission Vessels, Fast Intervention Boats, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and Armoured Vehicles, already in the country.  

“The information and intelligence hub of the Deep Blue Project, the Command, Control, Communication, Computer, and Intelligence Centre (C4i), was commissioned in August last year.  The Centre is up and running with round-the-clock production of needed maritime domain awareness. The C4i has helped to identify and monitor activities in the black spots, leading to arrests of many suspects in recent times.”

Dr. Jamoh, a graduate of the Korea Maritime and Ocean University, said the training of personnel for the Deep Blue Project had commenced and would be concluded this month, ahead of the deployment of the assets by December.    

The Director-General also said investigation had revealed that Somali pirates were now active in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea. He said the pirates often navigated through Nigeria’s maritime boundaries, and sometimes came through the land borders. He stated that the Maritime Intelligence Unit, recently established by NIMASA to help nip maritime crimes in the bud through identification of early warning signs, had revealed a relationship between crimes in the Nigerian maritime domain and the Somali pirates.

“We discovered a correlation between crimes in our waters and the activities of the Somali pirates,” he stated, adding, “They have a means of navigating from the coast of Somalia to Nigeria, through the waters of our West African neighbours. In some cases, they enter through the land borders and commission boats to carry out their activities.”  

He said Nigeria had developed an action plan to monitor the progress of its National Maritime Security Strategy, saying, “Our goal is to achieve a sustainable end to criminal attacks in our territorial waters.”

Jamoh called for South Korean and Belgian investments in the Nigerian maritime industry, particularly in the areas of wreck removal and shipbuilding, as well as assistance in the training and certification of Nigerian seafarers.

Haenggu and Bertrand, in their separate submissions, pledged their determination to improve ties between their respective countries and Nigeria in shipping development and maritime security. Haenggu hailed the “strong working relationship” between the Korean Embassy and NIMASA, saying he looks forward to continuing it. And Bertrand said his priority was to promote commerce between his country and Nigeria.           

 

Nigerian Government and Industry Joint Working Group (NIWG) Statement on Maritime Security Collaboration

The Joint Working Group (JWG) comprising the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Ministry of Transport, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Ports Authority, Marine Police Interpol, the oil industry (represented by OCIMF) and shipping industry (represented by ICS, BIMCO, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO and the Nigerian Shipowners’ Association) was established in May 2020 in order to facilitate coordination between government and industry and align efforts to deter and respond to incidents of piracy and armed robbery in Nigerian territorial waters and EEZ.  The NIMASA/Industry Working Group (NIWG) is the first coordinated effort between industry and the Nigerian Government (represented by NIMASA, Ministry of Transport, Nigerian Navy, Interpol, Marine Police, Customs and Nigerian Ports Authority) to address the issues of maritime security. 

 

The objective of the working group is to accelerate efforts to tackle maritime security threats by facilitating interaction between the stakeholders, pursuing projects through mutual collaboration, and enhancing transparency between government and industry in addressing the shared goal of achieving the permanent prevention of piracy and armed robbery in the region. By extension, ensuring the safety of seafarers and shipping operations in the region will enable Nigeria and other coastal states in the Eastern Gulf of Guinea to realise the full potential of their Blue Economies. 

 

Progress update from the NIWG: 

Since the NIWG was established, considerable progress has been made to deepen collaboration between agencies and navies, build operational response capabilities, develop more robust reporting frameworks and share best practice between Government and industry. It is the view of the NIWG the progress made to date demonstrates enthusiasm on both sides to tackle the problem despite considerable challenges posed by the pandemic. Now that the foundations for more collaborative working are in place, there is considerable momentum behind the NIWG’s efforts to reduce maritime security incidents in the region.

 

At a regulatory level, NIMASA is now working directly with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in developing a National Maritime Security Strategy, Nigeria has formally endorsed industry’s Best Management Practices West Africa (BMP WA) guidance and, following the entry into force of,  Nigeria’s Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act, 2019 (SPOMO Act), prosecutions are underway.

 

The NIWG industry partners have been working with NIMASA to finalise a new Nigerian National Maritime Reporting Framework which will support merchant vessels in distress, and NIMASA’s Command, Control, Computer Communication and Information (C4i) Centre has been identified as a national focal point for coordinating the multi-agency response. These developments are a significant step forward in improving Nigeria’s response capabilities and potentially enhancing security for vessels operating in Nigerian Waters. The NIWG recognises the role of the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade -GoG (MDAT-GOG) as the single point of communication for merchant ships and is pleased to inform that cooperation between the IMB, MDAT-GoG and NIMASA’s C4I Centre is progressing well.

 

There has also been a welcome escalation in the Nigerian Navy’s maritime security response activities. Conduct of two military exercises (Operation Calm Water and Operation Sanga Sung) by NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy in recent months have been successful in testing and demonstrating response capabilities. Importantly, considerable progress has also been made to advance The Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure project, otherwise known as the Deep Blue Project (DBP), which aims to comprehensively address insecurity and criminality in Nigeria’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. While COVID-19 has caused disruptions to this landmark project, delayed training required to deploy DBP assets Q4 2020/Q1 2021 has recommenced. It is agreed by the NIWG that progressing the DBP is a key priority, which will require continued support by industry and sustained resource from the Nigerian government. 

 

While this positive progress speaks to the benefits of leveraging the collective strength and capabilities of both Government and industry in striving toward a shared goal, the reality is that the risk of maritime security incidents in Nigerian waters remains high and is likely to increase in the coming months now that the monsoon season has ended. 

 

The NIWG recognises that there is a considerable way to go, and therefore it is essential that momentum is maintained in implementing maritime security programmes and initiatives to effect real and lasting change and secure the waters blighted by maritime crime.

 

COVID 19: FG CONSIDERS TAX HOLIDAY FOR MARITIME SECTOR

L-R:  DG. General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh; Minister of Finance, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed; and Head, Abuja Zonal Office, NIMASA, Mr. Zailani Attah, during the presentation of a request for stimulus packages for the maritime sector by the NIMASA DG

In a bid to stimulate investment and boost activities in the maritime industry, amid the downturn induced by COVID-19, the Federal Ministry of Transportation is seeking a package of tax incentives for the sector. 

Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, who conveyed the Ministry’s position to the Honourable Minister of Finance, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, in Abuja, reiterated the commitment of the Honorable Minister of Transportation, Rt. Honourable Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi towards ensuring the growth of maritime in Nigeria. He said many governments around the globe had introduced massive tax reduction or elimination to spur activities in key sectors and rev up their economies during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Dr. Jamoh stated, “The maritime sector is critical in the growth and development of transportation and, by extension, international trade in the country. Thus, the need for Federal Government-oriented programmes and stimulus packages to deliver a response that catalyses a sustainable economic development cannot be overemphasised.”

The DG said the proposed incentives included zero import duty for brand new vessels imported by Nigerians or Nigerian shipping companies for use in foreign or domestic trade; 0.5 per cent only import duty for vessels aged between one and five years intended for use in foreign or domestic trade; and one per cent only import duty for vessels aged between five and eight years intended for use in foreign or domestic trade.

There was also a proposal for zero import duty for parts or components imported by Nigerian shipyards for local ship building, which will be for an initial period of four years after which it can be reviewed by government. All these are expected to give the sector the vibrancy it needs for growth.

The NIMASA DG said the incentives were being proposed because of the importance of the Nigerian maritime sector to the entire sub-Saharan African region. He emphasised that Nigeria accounted for more than 65 per cent of the entire shipping trade of the sub-African continent. Nigeria is also the largest producer and exporter of oil and gas in the continent and Africa’s largest economy, he said. 

It is worthy of note that the maritime sector is a crucial energizer of economic growth and development, as it facilitates trade between countries. The Nigerian economy has witnessed substantial growth in the last two decades owing to reforms that boosted private investment in the maritime industry.

 

NIMASA ISSUES ULTIMATUM FOR CABOTAGE REGISTRATION

·        Agency To Ban IOCs from Engaging Unregistered Vessels

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has issued a three-month ultimatum to companies engaged in Cabotage trade in Nigeria to register all vessels used in coastal and inland waters trade. In addition to registration in the applicable Special Register for Cabotage Vessels and Ship Owning companies, and obtaining the Certificate of Cabotage Registration/License, operators with expired registration certificates are to ensure the renewal of their Cabotage Operational Certificate/License for all Cabotage vessels within three months. 

At the expiration of the three months, NIMASA would notify relevant government authorities and International Oil Companies (IOCs) to bar vessels without valid Cabotage certificates.    

Speaking shortly after the Agency released a Marine Notice to announce the decision, Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, disclosed that the notice was part of efforts to ensure strict enforcement of the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act 2003 and Guidelines on Implementation of the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act 2003.  

Jamoh reiterated that the Cabotage Act provided that every vessel intended for use in domestic trade must be duly registered by the Registrar of Ships.

The DG stated, “The law provides that every vessel intended for use under the Cabotage Act must be duly registered in the appropriate register and the operational certificates be renewed annually. We are out to ensure strict implementation of NIMASA’s mandate under the law.

“Ultimately, our intention is to build and continue to enhance the capacity of Nigerians in the shipping industry in line with relevant international regulations.”