Port security: Nigeria has made tremendous progress — US Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard has commended Nigeria and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for what it described as considerable progress in the implementation of the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code.

This was disclosed on Monday by Joe Prince Larson of the US Coast Guard, who led a team from the International Port Security Programme on a working tour of some terminals and ports in Nigeria to ascertain the level of implementation of the ISPS Code across Nigerian port facilities.

The team had earlier conducted assessment visits to the Dangote Port and Lekki Free Trade Zones in Lekki, Lagos State, as well as private port facilities operated by Matrix and Julius Berger in Warri, Delta State.

While delivering an interim assessment report to NIMASA management, Larson noted that Nigeria’s compliance with the ISPS Code ranks among the best globally.

He added that his team would report their findings to the leadership of the US Coast Guard accordingly and expressed confidence that NIMASA has the capacity to maintain the high standards achieved to date.

According to Mr Larson, “We had the pleasure of visiting Matrix and Julius Berger in Warri, Delta State, before proceeding to the Lekki Deep Seaport and Dangote Port in Lagos, with the overall assessment being very positive. We noted that there is a clear and deep understanding of the implementation of the ISPS Code in Nigeria, with the level of compliance observed to be on par with some of the best maritime nations globally. We would report our findings back to US Coast Guard headquarters accordingly.”

On his part, the NIMASA Director General, Dr Dayo Mobereola, spoke about the agency’s commitment to sustaining the improved compliance levels at the nation’s ports, while noting the positive effect this has on how Nigeria is perceived internationally. He added that the agency would continue to support efforts under the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, to improve standards in the Nigerian maritime industry.

In the words of the NIMASA DG, “I must express my happiness at the positive feedback we have received from the USCG delegation, as it serves as a reward for the Federal Government’s commitment to the development of the sector, and the work of the agency, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, to ensure international standards are adhered to in the area of port security.”

The US Coast Guard has consistently partnered with NIMASA to conduct on-the-spot assessments of the compliance level of Nigerian ports with the ISPS Code. These evaluations, which began last year as part of a three-year plan, are geared towards providing actionable insights and data-based decisions to lift the Condition of Entry (CoE) placed on vessels departing Nigeria for the United States of America.

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