The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has said that since the deployment of the Deep Blue Project assets in February, there has been a steady decline in piracy attacks on Nigerian waters on a monthly basis. He asserted that sustained reduction in reported cases of piracy and other maritime crimes in Nigerian waters would eventually end the regime of war risk insurance premium on Nigeria-bound cargoes.
Jamoh made these assertions during a visit by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Emmanuel Jime, who led a delegation from the Council on a courtesy visit to NIMASA headquarters in Lagos.
The NIMASA boss stated that the international shipping community has acknowledged the progress made by Nigeria in her quest for security in the Gulf of Guinea, as confirmed by recent reports by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
He said the sharp decrease in maritime incidents logged in IMB’s second-quarter report was valuable feedback on the Agency’s campaign for Nigeria to be delisted from countries under the war risk insurance burden, and an indication that the shipping community looked forward to the sustenance of the progress made.
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He said with adequate sensitisation of the international shipping community, Nigeria’s quest to be removed from nations considered to have dangerous waters would soon materialise for the benefit of Nigerian shippers and the overall economy.
On his part, the Shippers’ Council boss called for greater collaboration among relevant government agencies to enable the country to derive the full economic benefits of the maritime sector.
He commended NIMASA for placing fleet expansion at the heart of her efforts to encourage indigenous participation in the maritime industry.
The Executive Secretary stressed that there was no better time to have a national carrier than now, when the world was gradually looking away from fossil fuels, the current mainstay of the Nigerian economy.
“Nigeria cannot be caught unawares. We need to look at ways of developing our shipping sector, which, from studies, is capable of earning the country even more than oil yearly and maritime security is pivotal to achieving this goal,” Jime stated.
The Guardian
