Customs agrees to fast track release of NIMASA’s deep blue project assets 

Customs agrees to fast track release of NIMASA’s deep blue project assets 
Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali and the Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, flanked by officials of both agencies after a meeting on the agreement to fast track the delivery of NIMASA’s deep blue project assets in the port.

 

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) have agreed on modalities for timely delivery of the deep blue project assets currently at the ports.

The agreement was reached in a meeting between the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh and Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali, at the NCS headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.

The deep blue project, which is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, is domiciled in NIMASA. It was created to fight piracy and other maritime crimes in Nigeria and the larger Gulf of Guinea region.

Ali said there was need to find a common ground that would assist in the full deployment of deep blue project assets.

The Director General of NIMASA, who expressed appreciation for the support of the Customs boss, also requested for support in the deployment of the agency’s idle floating dock.

The floating dock, which was acquired by NIMASA more than three years ago, has been lying idle since arrival in the country in 2018.

“The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) is fully involved in the process to select a management partner for the modular floating dockyard. We urge the Nigeria Customs to see and treat the asset as a national asset that should enjoy some concession in terms of duties,” Jamoh said.