Peace Obi
Determine to enhance the status of the Nigerian flag and make it attractive for vessel owners to register their vessels with Nigeria based on her reputation and value addition it offers, the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has inaugurated a seven-man committee to review the activities and operations of Ship Registration in the country.
Speaking at the inauguration of the committee in Lagos on the side line of the presentation of the agency’s industry forecast for 2018-2019, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside noted that the agency was committed to improving the operations of the country’s ship registration processes to be at par with international best standards.
He added that the inauguration of the committee was part of the agency’s steps towards the implementation of the recommendations by the 2016 ministerial committee.
He disclosed that the agency was expecting the first phase of the committee’s report in three months’ time.
In his charge to the committee, Peterside said: We have been concerned about the fact that Nigerian Shipping Registration Office has not been meeting up with the global best standards. We think we need to scale the operations in the Nigerian Shipping Registration Office. So, what we have done is to gather some industry players and some experienced persons in NIMASA”.
He listed the committee’s terms of reference to include, “to examine the status if Ship Registry in line with international best standards; ascertain that the ship registration processes are of the same operational expectations with other global ship registries; determine the level of automation of the Nigerian Ship Registration Office; advise and recommend requisite improvements of necessity in the Nigerian Ship Registration office; and access and determine other jurisdictions with more advanced registries with which NIMASA can establish reciprocal relationships with a view with all-round improvement of the ship registry and the Nigerian flag.”
The committee headed by Engr. Emmanuel Ilori has Dr. Taofik Adegbite; Mrs. A.J. Musa; and Mr. A. S. Abdulsalam; Aminu Umar, as members.
Also in the committee are Agbaminoja Peter, Secretary and Mr. Nwoko Desmond, Assistant Secretary.
Peterside explained that ultimately, the agency wants an improvement of the Nigerian flag.
“We want Nigerian flag to be attractive. We want vessel owners to flag vessels to Nigeria because of our reputation, because of the value addition that we offer. We do not just want people to be forced to register their vessels in Nigeria”, he said.
