The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has 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.
NIMASA’S Acting Director General, Haruna Baba Jauro made this known while receiving the IMO Needs Assessment Team at the Headquarters of the agency in Lagos.
Jauro who described the maritime sector as a major economic driver assured the team that NIMASA would not rest on its oars in ensuring that the nation’s seaports are safe and secure for business activities to thrive.
“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.
Leader of the IMO Needs Assessment Team, Gisela Vieira commended the management of NIMASA for the commitment and zeal shown towards ensuring the effective implementation of the ISPS code.
According to her, the IMO ISPS Code 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 implementation of the ISPS code after the dissolution of the Presidential Committee on Maritime Safety and Security (PICOMSS).
In order to ensure full compliance, the agency has continually clamped down on erring non-compliant facilities after several entreaties for the facility managers to remedy identified breaches.
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