The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi on Friday commissioned the Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence System (CCCIS) of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
The minister said with the new system, activities at the six major seaports of Apapa, Tin Can, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Onne and Warri can now be properly monitored.
He described the launch of the new system as a remarkable milestone in the development of the nation’s seaports.
He said, “It is pertinent to note that the development of this facility began with an approval in 2013 with the aim of providing business Intelligence for the movement of vessels and cargoes, as well as providing improved and secured communications within our waterways for enhancement of efficiency within the nation’s seaports.”
He said the infrastructure consists of long and short-range video surveillance monitoring systems, as well as several other software applications, which are in line with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), and the International Ships and Ports Security Code (ISPS Code).
The minister assured the International community that Nigeria as an IMO member, will remain committed to upholding the thrust of the organisation, in the areas of safety, security, environmental protection and trade facilitation; stressing that he was not in doubt that the “conceptualization, development and installation of the CCCIS by the NPA will in no small way promote the ratings of our ports, by the IMO.”