NLNG Lauds NIMASA’s Deep Blue Project For Piracy Reduction
The NLNG Ship Management Limited (NSML), has lauded Nigeria’s deep blue project for its significant role in reducing pirate attacks on vessels in the Gulf of Guinea,
NSML, a sister company of Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, said that
The project is being anchored by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to tackle piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) where it had been a worrisome phenomenon in the global maritime industry as incidents and attacks soared in the last
decade.
Abdulkadir Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer, NSML, a sister company of Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited said that the recently launched “Deep Blue Initiative” by NIMASA had significantly reduced the impact and frequency of piracy incidents.
Speaking at the yearly conference of the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) in Lagos, and quoting the International Maritime
Bureau (IMB), he said the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) continue to be the hotspot for piracy attacks with 43 per cent of all regional attacks in 2021.
Pirates operating in the region are well equipped to attack further away from shorelines and are unafraid to take violent actions against innocent crews. Though these security challenges persist, the recently launched “Deep Blue Initiative” by NIMASA has significantly reduced the impact and frequency of these piracy incidents,”
Ahmed said NSML, as the foremost ship management and largest employer of seafarers in Nigeria, had continued to contribute and play a critical role in addressing some industry challenges, which includes implementation of the Seafarers Continuous Development Program (SCDP), in conjunction with
NIMASA, to ensure the development and continuous supply of certified, competent, and qualified
Nigerian seafarers
He said that over 107 Nigerian cadets had completed their sea-time training on the Seafarers Continuous Development Programme (SCDP); an NSML scheme aimed at providing training berth spaces for Nigerian cadets onboard the NSML-managed vessels.
According to him, the Maritime Centre of Excellence (MCoE) is also currently supervising the construction of a newbuild LPG vessel of a Nigerian company in the
Hyundai Mipo Shipyard in Korea.
This, he said, was a further testament to NSML’s capabilities of delivering complex maritime projects to the overall benefits of her clients specifically- and the nation generally.
Chairman, National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos Chapter, Adeleye Ajayi urged the Federal Government to urgently address the many challenges bedevilling the maritime sector.
He noted that the corruption in the shipping sector, policy conflicts and inconsistencies across different regulatory agencies, high operating costs in cargo clearing and delivery chains as well as high shipping charges by the terminal operators, are hampering the growth of the sector.
He stressed there was a need to efficiently upgrade hard and soft port infrastructure; and enhance trade liberalisation, service cooperation and trade facilitation.
Also, the President, of SCAN, Eugene Agha, said the maritime sector holds the key to Nigeria’s economy, hence the need for more enabling legislation to reposition the sector, tackle challenges and pull healthier competition and more gains.
He said: “Today, the dwindling global fancies for crude oil has increased focus to gas exploration and freighting, while piracy and other maritime criminalities remain a concern to both present and prospective investors, as well as regulators.
“The changing trend in the global energy sector demands a corresponding improvement and updating of the knowledge and skills of the media practitioners to continually avail stakeholders of the opportunities and risks inherent in the sector,”
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