NIMASA seeks FDFA’S partnership on fishing vessel safety

THE Director- General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency ( NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has called for synergy between the Agency and the Federal Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture ( FDFA) to ensure the safety of fishing vessels and their operators in Nigeria.

Jamoh made the call in Lagos at a meeting with officials of FDFA to discuss issues relating to the safety of fishing vessels, Illegal, unreported and unregulated ( IUU) fishing and broader crimes that take place during fishing operations and related matters.

Jamoh, who was represented by the Head, Special Duties ( External Relations and Technical Cooperation), Isichei Osamgbi, said there should be adequate information sharing between FDFA, which has the mandate to license fishing vessels, and NIMASA, which is responsible for registration and survey of the vessels, to ensure that unseaworthy vessels are not licensed to operate on Nigerian waters.

He said: “It is important that NIMASA and FDFA agree to continuously collaborate on modalities for registration, survey and licensing of fishing vessels to ensure that all safety standards are met before they are allowed to operate. This would drastically reduce incidents involving fishing vessels in our waters.”

On maritime security, Jamoh said with the acquisition and training of operators of the deep blue assets, the days of criminal elements in Nigeria’s maritime domain were numbered, as the assets had been fully deployed.

In his remarks, Head of Monitoring, Control and Surveillance at the FDFA Lagos Office, Paul Opuama, said the provided a very useful opportunity to not only clear some grey operational areas but also foster greater collaboration to improve the safety of fishing vessels.