The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has blamed the COVID-19 pandemic and change of administration as the major reason the agency is yet to commence the online ship registration as announced earlier this year.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that in February 2020, the former Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside had at a stakeholder’s interactive session, announced that the agency had commenced online ship registration in Lagos.
Peterside, said that the agency had acquired software license for the automation of the Nigerian Ship Registry, which is rated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as the second largest in Africa, by tonnage, after Liberia, and 46th in the world.
He had stressed adding that automation was the only way to boost the worth of the registry and quicken business processes.
But commenting on the delay, the Director Ship Registry, NIMASA, Barrister Obianu Nneka blamed the change in administration at the agency and the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic as the major reasons the online registration has not fully commenced.
She told our correspondent that, “shortly after the outcome of the committee on that (ship registry), there was a change in guard at NIMASA and we have not done any full brief of what we are doing because everybody got caught up with COVID-19 and everybody have been struggling to see how to survive using the COVID-19 parameters”
“There is nothing different from what the chairman of the committee; Engineer Emmanuel Ilori has said. So just give us a bit of time to kick start those things we said we were going to do before I can give an update, you know I am a civil servant and if I am speaking, it is the CEO that is talking and I would like him to be fully aware of what he is speaking on”, she said.
Also speaking, a former Director General of NIMASA, Barrister Temisan Omatseye harped on the need for the full implementation of the committee’s report, adding that ship registry is the heartbeat of the agency.
“My belief has always been that ship registry is the heartbeat of the agency, it allows for ship acquisition, because we have what we call the financiers of the project, they will have more comfort in your ship registry, they know they can come if they want to get their vessels back”, he stated.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Committee on ship registry, Engineer Emmanuel Ilori maintained that the online ship registration is a goal the committee wants to achieve as soon as possible.
He however advised that time should be given to NIMASA to settle properly from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It (ship registry) is a desirable and that is a goal we want to achieve as soon as possible, subject to having all the necessary systems in place that will make it effective”
“Don’t forget that NIMASA decided that this is the way they want to go, now we have a new administration at the agency and they have not told us otherwise. So we are for them to continue with the direction that have followed but don’t forget that this a new management and we need to give them time to settle down.
Don’t forget the new management started the time the pandemic set in, so it will be unfair to ask them things when the whole nation is embroiled in the pandemic,” he told our correspondent.
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