‘Regional Harmonisation Of Port State Control Procedures Vital For Maritime Safety, Growth’

As IMO, Abuja MoU partners to host capacity building workshop 

Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, has stated that the growth potential and high expectations of maritime stakeholders for the industry will only be realised through the development of harmonised Port State Control inspection procedures for West and Central Africa.
He made the assertion while addressing chief executives of all Maritime Administrations, signatory to the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) workshop on Port State Control for the West and Central African region. The IMO partnered with the Abuja MoU in organising the regional workshop for heads of maritime administrations in Lagos.
Jamoh, who was represented by the Executive Director of Operations, Shehu Ahmed, identified the importance of an effective Port State Control system to the efficient running of member states’ maritime administrations.
His words: “As we all know, Port State Control provisions are featured in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) provision under the duties and responsibilities of flag states, coastal states and port states and it is also highlighted under-enforcement in all major IMO and some ILO conventions.
“This function entails the enforcement of applicable conventions of the IMO and ILO that have been cascaded down to us as signatory states for domestication through our national laws.”

“NIMASA executes four legal instruments in keeping with our international obligations including the Merchant Shipping Act; the NIMASA Act; the Cabotage Act and the most recent being the SPOMO Act for the suppression of piracy and other maritime offences.”
While restating NIMASA’s commitment to the Abuja MoU in its focus on the reduction of substandard ships, curbing marine pollution and ensuring good working conditions of crew members onboard ships within member states’ waters, Jamoh urged the 22 member countries of the Abuja MoU on Port State Control to improve on their financial contributions to the organisation.
Also speaking at the event, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Magdalene Ajani, who represented the Vice Chairman of Abuja MoU and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, commended the organisers of the training workshop for their commitment to developing the human element, which she described as “the most critical resource.”
On his part, Secretary-General of the Abuja MoU, Captain Sunday Umoren, identified the need for continuous capacity building and networking initiatives in order to gain the support of top Maritime Administrations (MARADS) thereby promoting productive working relationships, which would, in turn, benefit the maritime industry of member states.
Umoren disclosed that only 14 countries are presently conducting inspections in the region and advocated a campaign for an effective inspection regime with a focus on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW), adding that detentions are not the best parameters to measure the efficiency of port state control.
The Abuja MoU is one of the nine Regional MoUs and one national MoU established pursuant to IMO Resolution A.682 (17) of 1991. The organisation operates under a Cooperative Agreement with the IMO and was established on October 22, 1999, as an inter-governmental body comprising maritime administrations of countries on the Atlantic coast of Africa.

The goal of the forum is to implement effective operational counter-piracy cooperation among regional and international navies, as well as the shipping industry and reporting centres of the Yaounde Code of Conduct (ICC) for the Regional Strategy for Maritime Safety and Security in Central and West Africa region.

This year’s edition of the event will be hosted by NIMASA in collaboration with the Interregional Coordination Centre (ICC), Yaounde, Cameroun and the Nigerian Navy.