NIMASA to Domicile Maritime Data on Single Platform

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has stated that the agency is pushing for a single data window system of all activities in the Nigerian maritime sector in such a way that data required will be available on a single platform, as a maritime data bank to help engender the country’s rapid economic growth.

Peterside who stated this in Lagos yesterday at an interactive session with journalists also noted that the Nigerian maritime sector, which currently provides over 100,000 direct jobs with multiplier effects of over two million jobs, deserves adequate mention in the statistics released monthly by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). “We are pushing for a single data window system in the maritime sector, whereby NIMASA, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and other relevant government agencies in the sector will share a common platform for data on all vessels calling at our ports and the activities. This will make it easy for the National Bureau of Statistics to capture the contributions of the maritime sector and the GDP of the country to enable those who make use of the figures to grow the economy achieve better results,” he said.

Speaking on the survey and inspection of vessels at Nigerian ports, he said the fast intervention vessels the agency leased last year has led to an increase in Port, flag and coastal state control inspections, which he noted has increased by over 10.3, 33.3 and 27 per cent respectively in 2018 than the same period in the previous year.

This is just as the agency has taken drastic action to ensure that substandard vessels do not ply and endanger our waters.

“Nigeria is no longer conducive for substandard vessels, because they know that we are more vigilant and by this we are ensuring the protection of our environment. We are strict on enforcement of standards and the international fleet feels more comfortable with our maritime terrain”, the DG said.

Commenting on the issue of placing beneficiaries of the agency’s Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) onboard ocean going vessels for their mandatory sea-time training, he disclosed that currently a total number of 289 cadets have commenced their training in Egypt and the United Kingdom on NIMASA full sponsorship. He also used the opportunity to assure all beneficiaries of the scheme that the Agency will ensure they all complete their mandatory sea-time training in due course.