Harboursandport.com: Lagos --- The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has read the riot act to port facilities that refuses to collect their Certificate of Compliance threatening of sever sanction should any of them fail to collect theirs.
 |
| Director General of NIMASA, Peterside Dakuku |
Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Port Facility Security Officers, PFSO Forum, a representative of the Designated Authority, Mr. Charles Odimiri, an officer of the ISPS Unit of NIMASA expressed disappointment on the late collection of the Compliance Certificates by
Terminals and Facilities.
“That failure to collect the ‘‘SOC’’
(Statement of Compliance) on or before 31st of March, 2018
would subsequently attract a fine against the concerned Terminal or Facility,
as they may be assumed to be operating illegally without the relevant empowerment
document.” He said
He advised those that have not met with the
required standard on the Statement of Compliance to meet with NIMASA for
redress.
The forum also lamented the porous nature of the
waterfronts noting that it needs the patrol interventions of the DA and the
Nigerian Ports Authority and
The Chairman of the forum Dr Ignatius Uche ,
appealed to the DA representative on the establishment of a Maritime Security
Trust Fund (MSTF) that could assist in the funding of security operations in the
industry.
Recall that the United States Coast Guard last
month visited some port facilities in Lagos and Port Harcourt and expressed
satisfaction at the level of compliance to the International Ship and Port
Security, ISPS, Code.
The leadership of the forum told Vanguard that
the U S Coast Guard was so impressed by the level of security in the nation’s
port facilities that they have recommended Nigeria to other countries.
It was also gathered countries in the West
African sub-region have commenced moves to take a cue from Nigeria concerning
security at the ports.
No comments:
Post a Comment