LAGOS
The director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has stressed that implementing the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) will boost Nigeria’s maritime security architecture.
Dr Bashir Jamoh stated this when he received the deputy head of International Maritime Security Operations Team (IMSOT), Mr Jim Hamilton, to his office in Lagos.
The IMSOT is in Nigeria on a working visit to assess the level of compliance of some port facilities in the country with the ISPS Code.
Jamoh, who was represented by executive director, Operations of the agency, Mr Shehu Ahmed, noted that the importance of an effective implementation of the ISPS Code regime cannot be overemphasized.
This, he said, necessitated the Nigerian government to domesticate the ISPS Code Implementation Regulations (ICIR) since 2014, bearing in mind that it is an integral aspect of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.
“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,” he said.
Speaking after a working visit to some port facilities in Lagos, the deputy head of International Maritime Security Operations Team (IMSOT), Hamilton, expressed satisfaction at the level of cooperation and synergy existing among government agencies in the Nigerian maritime industry, adding that they will share knowledge with NIMASA to ensure optimum implementation of the ISPS Code in Nigeria.
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