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By Steve Agbota, Lagos
The Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Arsenio Dominguez has commended Nigeria for its gold standard in enhancing maritime security and capacity building in the Gulf of Guinea (GOG) region.
Dominguez said the global seafarers and leading shipping nations have given satisfactory remarks about the maritime domain, especially on security in Nigeria following some initiatives championed by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Dominguez, who conveyed this satisfactory message via a letter, also congratulated the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola on his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a conveyance letter signed by the IMO Secretary General, the world’s apex maritime regulator recognised the strides of the NIMASA in building a robust maritime sector in Nigeria, adding that the IMO commends the significant effort, initiatives, and investment that Nigeria has made in strengthening its maritime institutions.
His words: “The focus on strengthening maritime law enforcement and security architecture has been welcomed by seafarers and flag States. The Deep Blue project and the C4i Centre as well as maritime piracy laws under the SPOMO Act are just some of the many investments that have set a new gold standard in the region in maritime security capacity building”.
“IMO has long supported the regional role of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct and its Member States in strengthening maritime security and law enforcement. In this respect, we have been greatly encouraged with the continuation of this regional ownership with the formation and work of the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum and Shared Awareness and De-confliction (GoG-MCF/SHADE) in 2021.”
He equally commended the Agency’s partnership with the various regional bodies and expressed the readiness of the IMO to work with Nigeria and other member states on many maritime issues with the aim of jointly tackling these issues.
“NIMASA’s partnership with the Interregional Coordination Centre (ICC) and the collaboration with the shipping industry, navies and the Yaoundé architecture has been instrumental in suppressing the threat of piracy to merchant vessels and seafarers in line with UN Security Council resolution 2634 (2022) on piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea and IMO Assembly resolution A.1159 (32).
“I look forward to working with you and your colleagues on many of the maritime issues that we are jointly tackling and hope to welcome you in person at the IMO, he said.
