The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, has said it is concluding plans towards the review of the processes associated with the removal of wrecks on the nation’s territorial waters.

This is with a view to enhancing the efficiency of the procedure in order to promote safety navigation within the country’s territorial waters.

The agency is charged with the responsibility of removing wrecks and derelicts outside the channels of the nation’s territorial waters, which is one of its core mandates as enshrined in the NIMASA Act, 2007.

Director-General of the agency, Dr Dakuku Peterside, who made this disclosure at a forum organised by the News Agency of Nigeria NAN, in Abuja, said NIMASA will revisit the procedure of removing wrecks from the Nigerian waterways.

It was gathered that a review of the wreck removal process was necessitated by the need to enhance the efficiency of the processes in order to make Nigeria’s waters safer for navigation for all.

“Once we get the consent of the Federal Ministry of Transport, we will put out Marine Notices to that effect”, the DG said.

Investigations also showed that the decision of the agency to review the processes is in tandem with the Nairobi Convention, which provides for the processes, through which a ship can be declared a wreck.

According to the DG, the agency had been following the law that regulates wrecks removal diligently.

He however acknowledging that there have been challenges associated with the removal of wrecks on Nigerian waterways, which he described as a challenge inherited by the current administration at NIMASA.

The NIMASA DG assured Nigerians that the implementation of the reviewed process will serve as a catalyst to boost wreck removal from Nigerian waterways.  

This review in unconnected with the ongoing reforms being carried out by the agency in line with its medium term development plan through which it plans to enhance efficiency, boost the number of vessels on the nation’s ship registry and ultimately enhance Federal Government’s revenue.