From left: Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola CON; Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh OFR (2nd left); Secretary General Abuja MoU, Capt. Sunday Umoren (right) and a stakeholder during the 13th Port State Control Committee meeting of the Abuja MoU in Abidjan, capital city of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.

Nigeria’s Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, has made a strong case for member states of the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for West and Central African Region (Abuja MoU) to achieve full ratification and domestication of all relevant international instruments on maritime governance.

Oyetola who also doubles as the Vice Chairman of the Abuja MOU spoke at the just concluded 13th Port State Control Committee Meeting of the Abuja MoU, hosted by the Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in Abidjan.

Meanwhile the Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA Dr. Bashir Jamoh, OFR, who also spoke at the event, noted that the maritime administration in Nigeria is committed to effective implementation of regulatory instruments in the country.

The Minister, who emphasised the need for regulators and stakeholders among the member states of the MoU to ensure their maritime domains remain safe, secure, and environmentally friendly, reiterated the need to achieve full ratification and domestication of all relevant instruments; compliance with the requirement for member States to inspect at least 15 percent of vessels calling at their ports. 

Stakeholders also identified other crucial areas, which include but not limited to; the imperative of recruitment and subsequent training of the Port State Control officers to avoid over burdening the few Port Security Officers PSCOs in the field; and the need for us to collaborate and ensure that no substandard vessel is allowed to trade within the region.

DG NIMASA, while speaking at one of the sessions of the event, noted that the agency as Nigeria’s maritime administration has ensured the ratification of not less than six International maritime conventions for proper governance of the country’s maritime space.

These ratified conventions spell out proper mode of governance for various areas such as standards of training, certification and Watchkeeping for the fishing sector, pollution management and carriage of passenger luggage by sea.

Recall that Nigeria has ratified Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships 2009; International Convention on Standard of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW –F) 1995; and Protocol Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil Pollution Casualties (Intervention Protocol)1973.

Others include; Protocol on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC) 1996; Protocol to the 1974 Athens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea 2002; and Protocol of 2005 to the 1988 Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Act against the Safety of Fixed Platforms located on the Continental Shelf (SUA PROT 2005)

Secretary General Abuja MoU, Captain Sunday Umoren, speaking in the same vein, assured of continuous engagement sessions to ensure regional collaboration to attain globally acceptable Port State Control in the West and Central African region.

Part of the deliberations at the meeting covered the performance of member states on PSC Inspections, and financial status among others. Also in attendance at the event as observers were members of Women in Maritime West Africa WIMOWCA.