The Vice Chairman, Port Facility Security Officer (PFSO), Lagos Maritime Security Zone (LMSZ); Dr. Zebulon Ikokide has affirmed that there is now steady progress in Nigerian ports in line with the International Ships and Ports Security facility (ISPS) code because operators are better enlightened.
Dr. Ikokide made this known during a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos.
He however stressed that some jetty operators still needed to up their compliance in line with the convention, stressing the need for more officers in such facilities to key into Port Facility Security Officer (PFSO) forum.
According to him, there has been some improvement but there is still the need for some of the conventional terminals and jetties to work harder to measure up to the compliance level.
The maritime consultant stated that initially, when it was introduced to Nigerian ports, compliant level was at its lowest ebb, but added that currently, there has been high level of compliance by the terminal operators.
He added that awareness campaign programmes and sensitisation of the operators has also helped in ensuring that the required standards are met for safety purposes at the ports and their environ.
Ikokide stressed that the Designated Authority (DA), which is the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) also played a key role in making sure that the terminals comply with ISPS code, noting that the agency has been able to put in place rules and regulations that guide the principles of convention.
The expert disclosed that some of the officers employed in the jetties have not undergone training to meet the dynamism of ISPS code technicalities.
He added that the Port Facility Security Officer (PFSO) forum has been upgraded to a national level and that there is the need for personnel on jetty operations to key into the scheme to enhance their compliance status.
He also called on NIMASA to further improve on the monitoring aspect of the facilities to further improve on the compliance level.
"There may be some terminals that are not in total compliance and there is need for the media to find out those terminals and expose them, so that the DA can act on that area", he said.
However, the PFSO official noted that "to meet the standard of ISPS code is capital intensive and some of the ports find it difficult to put in place such equipment in their terminal and this is one of the major problems faced by them".
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