The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) last week deployed its recently acquired satellite surveillance system to rescue a Ghanaian Fishing Vessel; Marine 711, suspected to have been hijacked. The rescue was however carried out in conjunction with the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) last week deployed its recently acquired satellite surveillance system to rescue a Ghanaian Fishing Vessel; Marine 711, suspected to have been hijacked. The rescue was however carried out in conjunction with the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force.
According to NIMASA, the Ghanaian registered vessel was reportedly hijacked off the coast of Ghana and sailed across Togo and Benin Republic to Nigerian waters when the Embassy of the Republic of Korea contacted the agency to help rescue the vessel, which is owned by Koreans. The Ghanaian Fisheries Authority and the Operators of the Fishing Vessel joined in requesting NIMASA to bring the incident to a logical conclusion.
In a statement signed by NIMASA’s Deputy Director, Public Relations; Mr Isichei Osamgbi, it added that, the rescue was coordinated by the agency’s Director of Shipping Development; Capt. Warredi Enisuoh.
The agency’s “newly built satellite surveillance system with Cloud Penetrating Radar capabilities was brought to bear and the incident was resolved within six hours”.
It also acknowledged that, “NIMASA team, working with the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force, which used air and sea patrols, quickly put up a response and reception plan which led to the hijackers abandoning their mission and fleeing”.
According to NIMASA, the new 24-hour Surveillance Centre has the capability to detect boats, ships and objects of predefined cross-section floating on water. This includes any aircraft that ditches and remains on the surface during satellite over-flight. Its abilities further includes but not limited to setting range rings and restricted areas for which when penetrated by an intruder, the system gives an alarm thereby alerting the operator/watchkeeper.
The Director General of NIMASA, Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi was quoted as expressing satisfaction “with the cooperation shown by all parties to the operation and noted that the Agency would continue to utilise cutting edge technology and partnership with the military to secure Nigerian waters for enhanced trade activities”.
This is the first regional cooperation between NIMASA, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force and the Ghanaian Authorities in the anti-piracy war in the Gulf of Guinea, which is hinged on the provisions of the Bilateral Agreement on Regional cooperation on anti-piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Nigeria, as signatory to the International Safety of Life and Sea (SOLAS) and Search and Rescue (SAR) Conventions, is obliged to intervene and provide co-ordination during Safety and Security-related incidents in her territorial waters and beyond.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that Nigeria is one of the five Regional Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (RMRCCs) that were designated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in Africa.
By that responsibility, Nigeria is expected to provide search and rescue as well as coordinate security co-ordination in the waters of Benin Republic, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Sao Tome & Principe and Togo, in addition to its own territorial waters.
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