The Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, OFR flanked by the leader of the delegation from the United States Coast Guard Lt. Cdr. Jonna L. Clouse (left) and Cdr. James Cepa during a visit to the Headquarters of NIMASA by the team from USCG and assessment of some Ports facilities in Nigeria.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has reiterated its commitment to Nigeria’s quest to implementing the International Ships and Ports Security (ISPS) Facility Code in line with acceptable global best practice.
This assurance came even as the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) canvassed the review of the Condition of Entry (CoE) regime preventing Nigerian vessels from accessing United States ports.
Lt. Cdr. Jonna L. Clouse who led a team from the US Coast Guard to Nigeria for peer review, disclosed this while on a working visit to the Headquarters of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
She noted that engaging NIMASA on a constant basis was to ensure that more Ports and Jetties in the country implement ISPS Code, thus enhancing safety of the entire Nigerian maritime domain.
“We are in Nigeria to assess the level of compliance with the International Ships and Ports Security (ISPS) Facility Code. Our desire is to enhance cooperation between the Nigerian maritime sector and the United States Coast Guard.
“We will also offer our expertise to NIMASA in closing identified gaps. We hope to work with NIMASA and reduce or end the Conditions of Entry regime for Vessels from Nigeria to the United States”, she said, while commending the NIMASA Management for efforts made in cooperating with the USCG.
The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh (OFR), stressed that due to the dynamism of maritime threats and patterns, NIMASA has been fortunate to have peer review partners that create avenues for developing capacities needed for effective ISPS Code implementation
While elucidating steps already taken by NIMASA to ensure ISPS Compliance in over 90% of Ports and Jetties in the country, Jamoh highlighted the need for the United States to review the Conditions of Entry regime for vessels calling at some Ports in the United States.
His words “It is worthy of note that despite efforts taken by NIMASA in improving Port Security and ISPS Code implementation in Nigeria, the issue of Condition of Entry (CoE) still hovers over vessels from Nigeria calling at Ports in the United States.
“For vessels leaving Nigeria to undergo stringent port controls before being granted access to US ports, has adverse effect on the aggregate shipping economies of Nigeria. The delays lead to additional costs that strain an already present high freight cost within the Gulf of Guinea. This is adversly affecting Shipping in Nigeria
“We have reviewed the decision taken by the USCG and proposed an action plan to enable the US Coastguard physically determine the compliance levels of these facilities in the Condition of Entry list. We at NIMASA are calling on the US Coast Guard to facilitate the removal of Nigeria from the Condition of Entry List.