The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has shutdown Obat Oil and Petroleum Limited Jetty at Ibafo for non-compliance with the provisions of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code.
NIMASA, in pursuant to its mandate as the Designated Authority (DA) for the implementation of the ISPS code shut down the jetty after it was adjudged non-complaint in spite of repeated warnings and extension of time courteously granted its organization over the past year.
This closure is in exercise of the Agency’s powers in line with provisions of Part VIII of the ISPS Code Implementation Regulations 2014. The facility will remain closed until the managers correct the identified deficiencies and pay a prescribed fine before it will be reopened for business.
Going by the saying that a chain is as strong as its weakest link, the Management of the NIMASA has commenced the shutting of port facilities that have persistently failed to comply with the ISPS code so as to forestall a situation where security breaches in such facilities will negatively impact the compliant ones.
It will be recalled that NIMASA, which formally became the Designated Authority for the implementation of the code in May 2013 when compliant facilities were less than 10, has progressively grown the number to over 80% of the nation’s 129 facilities.
The Agency remains focused on achieving a 100% compliance goal, which will guarantee the security of ships and port facilities especially in this period when terrorist activities have been heightened. This exercise has been promised to be a continuous one.
