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The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) finally has something to be merry about as it surpassed the benchmark set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for the actual compliance level of the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
The Acting Director General Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro made this known while receiving the IMO Needs Assessment Team at the Headquarters of the Agency. Although, the agency has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons ranging from corrupt allegations and investigations to the uncertainty owing to the delay in confirming the Acting Director General or appointing a new one; the agency can actually celebrate a new milestone.
Mr. Jauro described the maritime sector as a major economic driver assured the IMO Needs Assessment Team that the Agency will not rest on its oars in ensuring that the nation’s seaports are safe and secure for business activities to thrive optimally.
“From being less than 9% compliant in 2013, I am happy to inform you that we have surpassed the 70% Benchmark in National compliance level of the ISPS Code implementation in Nigeria and the current Management is leaving no stone unturned to ensure 100% compliance level,” he said.
Ms. Gisela Vieira, the leader of the IMO Needs Assessment Team commended the Management of NIMASA for the commitment and zeal shown towards ensuring the effective implementation of the ISPS code.
According to her, the audit is not mainly aimed at identifying the faults but specially meant to set an agenda on how to better the current implementation status.
It would be recalled that NIMASA was in May, 2013 officially named the Designated Authority (DA) for the implementation of the ISPS code after the dissolution of the Presidential Committee on Maritime Safety and Security (PCOMSS).
In order to ensure full compliance, the Agency has reiterated that it would continue to clamp down on erring facilities that have remained non-compliant after several entreaties for the facility managers to remedy the identified breaches.
