NIMASA to prioritize ship registry automation, open dialogue with stakeholders

The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has pledged to make the automation of the country’s ship registry a top priority.

The NIMASA DG also assured that his leadership would prioritize gender inclusion at the agency and the maritime industry.

Dr. Mobereola made the commitment during his maiden interactive session with maritime stakeholders in Lagos on Thursday.

The session brought together key players from across the industry, including shipowners, former chief executives of NIMASA, maritime lawyers, maritime workers union and mariners.

Speaking at the event, the NIMASA DG emphasized the importance of working together with industry stakeholders to develop a sustainable plan for the maritime sector.

He noted that the challenges and solutions presented would be incorporated into his strategy for the maritime sector.

He said, “We have taken notes of all the comments by stakeholders and you can be assured that all that has been said is going to be put into consideration when we are developing our plan for the next four years. One of the key issues is the automation of the ship registry and I can assure you that it will happen very quickly.

“There will be no exclusivity we are all going to do it together. The purpose of NIMASA is to serve the industry, and we cannot decide what is good for the industry unless the Industry is working with us in order for us to have strong partnerships to be able to excel.

“Ship owners, every aspect of the professionals, practitioners, that have said something, challenges, and also proffer solutions, you can be rest assured that all these points that have been raised would be looked at, considered, and put into our strategy so that there would be a sustainable plan for the maritime sector.”

Earlier in his presentation, maritime lawyer, Emeka Akabogu, urged the NIMASA DG to prioritize policies and programs that would promote the growth of local shipping capacity and disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund ( CVFF).

He noted that many Nigerian-owned ships are registered under foreign flags, highlighting the need for effective local content development.

Akabogu, said that the country was losing $4 billion to lack of local marine transportation in the country.

He said, “Players in the industry have expectations from NIMASA per its regulatory mandates, which are broadly two namely maritime administration, and shipping development and promotion.

“The industry wants to see that affairs of the sector are effectively managed to ensure safe and clean waters, security, organization and to facilitate business in the industry.

“They want vessels regularly boarded and inspected with breaches identified and sanctioned, licenses readily issued upon satisfaction of requirements, pollution response timely with adequate availability of response equipment, maritime labour easily registered and deployed, international conventions dutifully reviewed, understood, argued on our terms, ratified and domesticated; wreck cleared; they want a ship register that is credible, accessible and efficient, and so much more.

“In terms of shipping development and promotion, what the industry wants here is straightforward, they wants to purchase and operate ships with ease, have them employed and active, have cargo readily available for the ships; have market data and information readily available on their screens on the tap of a button, they want access to finance that is transparent, credible and reliable; they want legitimate vessel operations not to be clogged by inexplicable rejection of classification regimes already approved by government, they want shipyards that are functional so they don’t go outside our shores for reliable dry-docking, and so much more; they want a system of cabotage waivers or licenses that is transparent and all-inclusive, they want CVFF and many more.

“Taken together, these constitute the promised land upon which voyage MV Maritime Nigeria has been set on course.”

President of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, Aminu Umar, who spoke on behalf of indigenous shipowners seek the DG’s intervention for the government to grant zero import duty waivers on vessels acquired by Nigerians to enhance their competitiveness in the global market.

He also called for the digitization and standardization of the Nigerian ship registry to address the current lopsided and manual system, which he said is affecting their businesses and competitiveness in the industry.

“The lack of automation in the ship registry is also affecting our businesses, the registry has standardization issues, we would like the DG to automate it and give that department a little independence,” Aminu said.

In his welcome address, Chairman of the occasion, Emmanuel Ihenacho expressed hope and expectation that NIMASA under the leadership of Dr. Mobereola will make strides in promoting ship safety, maritime security, and environmental sustainability in Nigerian waters.

He praised Dr. Mobereola’s dedication to capacity building, infrastructure development, and environmental protection, which he believes will position Nigeria as a key player in the global maritime community.

“As we move forward together, we are confident that under the leadership of Dr Adedayo Mobereola, NIMASA will continue to drive innovation, pursue collaboration with stakeholders, and engender positive progress in our industry as a whole.

“We expect the DG to be fully cognisant of the impact of technological developments in the marine and blue economy on the content and form of policies to be developed. We look forward to working together with the DG to address the challenges ahead and to seize the opportunities that lies before us,” Iheanacho stated.

A major highlight of the occasion was the launch of the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) Renewed Minimum Standard for Nigerian seafarers for 2023-2025, which outlined collective bargaining agreements for seafarers’ remuneration and working hours.