From Left: The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside , the  Consular-General of the Korean Embassy in Nigeria,  Kim In-Taek and  the Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services of NIMASA Mr. Gambo Ahmed when the Korean Consular General paid a Courtesy visit to NIMASA recently.

BY FRANCIS EZEM

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has assured seafarers and other stakeholders in the international maritime community of the Nigeria’s continued commitment at ensuring navigational safety and security on the nation’s territorial waters.

Dakuku said this in Lagos when the Consular-General of the Korean Embassy in Nigeria, His Excellency, Kim In-Taek, paid him a courtesy visit at the NIMASA headquarters.

He spoke in response to concerns raised by the Consular General over the recent hijack of MV. Glarus, stated, stated that Nigeria is totally committed to the safety of all vessels that come on its coastal waters.

“Efforts have been doubled to ensure that vessels calling at Nigeria’s seaports are safe and secure by investing even more in surveillance to guaranty safety of vessels.  NIMASA is also working closely with the Nigerian Navy and the National Intelligence Agency to achieve this”, the DG assured.

He noted that Nigeria was expected to witness a drastic drop in maritime crimes given the additional security measures being put in place by the agency, saying the country ultimately aims at completely ridding her coastal waters of pirates and other criminals.

On strengthening the relationship between Nigeria and Korea, Peterside said Nigeria was taking steps to establish new synergies with other countries and further cementing existing ones, such as her relations with Korea. He said Nigeria cherished her relationship with Korea and encouraged a mutually beneficial working relationship between both countries in ship building, shipping development as well as human capacity development and other aspects of the maritime industry.

Recall that the Dr. Dakuku Peterside led management of NIMASA had since inception always advocated local and foreign collaborations in growing the Nigerian maritime industry. This move is seen as a milestone in partnering with the Koreans who are known for shipbuilding and repairs.

Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria Mr. Jens Kjemprud had also recently visited the agency as part of measures to seek partnership especially in the area of the fishing segment of maritime business which Norway is reputed for across the globe.