The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, has reopened three jetties and port facilities shut down about one week ago over their failure to comply with the provisions of the International Ships and Port Facility Security ISPS Code, says gesture in line with the policy of ensuring business growth and not to stifle them.

NIMASA had shut the three facilities in exercise of its powers under the provisions of Part VIII of the ISPS Code Implementation Regulations 2014 under which the facilities were adjudged to be non-compliant despite repeated warnings to address the deficiencies identified by the operatives of the agency..

The affected facilities are Heyden Petroleum Jetty in Ijora area of Lagos; Waziri Jetty on Dockyard Road Apapa also in Lagos and Starz Marine Shipyard Limited Onne in Rivers State.

The agency however warned that it would always insist on strict compliance with the provisions of the ISPS Code.

Director General of the agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, who announced the reopening of the facilities, said that this follows their partial compliance and written commitments to remedy all identified deficiencies of the ISPS Code.

According to him, all of the affected facilities have already taken steps towards complying with the provisions of the code and also provided commitments in writing to NIMASA to remedy the lapses that led to the initial closure within the shortest time possible.

He also disclosed that the reopening of these facilities is in line with the commitment of the management to create the enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the maritime industry in line with global best practices.

He said: “We want to facilitate business growth in the industry and not to stifle it. These facilities have been reopened because of the steps they have already taken and the written commitment given by the owners. NIMASA will however not hesitate to sanction these and any other facility that contravenes the provisions of the ISPS Code, which we have resolved to fully implement in Nigeria”.

“In order to guarantee the safety of ships and port facilities in the country, NIMASA as the Designated Authority DA for the implementation of the ISPS Code has made it a continuous exercise to monitor the compliance level of all facilities so that non compliant ones do not jeopardise security in the industry”, the DG also said.