NIMASA has stimulated economic growth —DG

The Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has said the Agency’s regulatory and promotional activities have been a major economic stimulus for the country, especially in the last one year.

Peterside stated this at the weekend in Lagos during a world press conference ahead of NIMASA’s Annual Corporate Dinner and Awards ceremony.

The NIMASA DG identified series of transformation in the country’s maritime administration that had been major economic drivers to include the Final Billing System for Freight Charges, Improved Maritime Safety, Security, and Domain Awareness, and the Tripartite Agreement by Maritime Stakeholders.

Other critical changes in the sector, according to Peterside, are the renewed capacity building drive through implementation of a five-year cabotage cessation plan, and the rejigging of the Nigerian Ship Registry.

He said before Final Billing System introduced by his administration, it took between five and 10 years to reconcile bills in relation to the three per cent freight charge on vessels coming into the country. With this tardy system, such vessels were always on NIMASA’s books as owing or having bills to reconcile.

“But with the Final Billing System, we have put an end to double billing, over-billing, and protracted billing. The system ensures closure of all vessel billing transactions within two weeks after departure,” Peterside stated, adding, “This has led to improved customer satisfaction.”

He stated further that the country had equally made major strides in the drive for improved maritime domain awareness. “With the use of satellite surveillance technologies, in combination with intelligence systems, we are able to identify with a consistent 365 days and a five-year profile, all vessels that visit our Exclusive Economic Zone. We are able to identify vessels that are believed to be engaging in suspicious activities and take appropriate actions,” he explained.

The Director-General also announced the holding of the Agency’s Corporate Dinner and Awards on January 18, saying the annual event which debut in 2018 is an occasion to celebrate maritime industry stakeholders and staff of NIMASA who have made outstanding contributions to the growth of the sector.