Maritime security: NIMASA will begin removing wrecks from Nigerian waters

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has completed preparations for the start of a major wreck removal operation in Nigerian waters.

Dr. Bashir Jamoh, the Agency’s Director-General, made the announcement during a Ministerial retreat hosted by the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT) in Lagos.

Dr. Jamoh also stated that plans had been finalized for the recycling of wrecks and derelicts recovered from the waters in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Government and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), which already has a wrecks recycling foundry in Lagos, with the ultimate goal of creating wealth from waste while providing jobs for Nigerians.

Minister of Transportation Chibuike Amaechi, speaking at the retreat’s opening, said the two-day event was organized to assess the performance of the Ministry’s agencies in order to improve the efficiency of service delivery to Nigerians.

“We are here to assess the progress made so far in the maritime sector in order to improve the efficiency of our operations,” Amaechi said.

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“This administration has accomplished a lot in areas like rail transportation, port operations, maritime safety, and security, among others, and our goal is to do more to enhance productivity,” the NIMASA DG said.

He also revealed that the Agency’s automation push had resulted in the integrated use of technology in the Certificate of Competency (CoC) verification process, resulting in a decrease in manual verification.

“In 2020, the number of manual CoC verifications dropped from 4,112 in 2019 to 2,750, a 33 percent decrease in manual certificate verification,” Jamoh said. In 2020, there were 9,723 online verifications.” On the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) disbursement, Jamoh said NIMASA was working with the Ministry to resolve all grey areas and ensure smooth distribution of the Fund.