AMERO Call On Govt To Set Up Communication Stations To Curb Pirate Activities

Following the incessant attacks on fishing trawlers and tankers on the nation’s territorial waters, a call has gone to the federal government to establish communication stations to address distress calls that occur along the nation’s coast.
President of the Association of Marine Electronic Radio Officers (AMERO), Engineer Isumanu Isaac gave the suggestion in Lagos even as he told Shipping Position Daily that it is a means to curb pirate activities on the maritime domain of the country.

Following the incessant attacks on fishing trawlers and tankers on the nation’s territorial waters, a call has gone to the federal government to establish communication stations to address distress calls that occur along the nation’s coast.
President of the Association of Marine Electronic Radio Officers (AMERO), Engineer Isumanu Isaac gave the suggestion in Lagos even as he told Shipping Position Daily that it is a means to curb pirate activities on the maritime domain of the country.
Isumanu stated that the safety of vessels and crew on the nations waterway has become alarming pointing out that the  Nigerian Navy are not informed at the right time whenever issues of attacks on trawlers and vessels arises.
According to him, the federal government needs to have a communication or tracking stations in all its maritime states to alert the security agencies that operate on the waterways.
"If we have a tracking station and there is pirate attack, the vessels affected can communicate to the nearest station, where in turn such information can be passed to the Navy or other security agencies to go and address the situation at the point of the attack."
"But we do not have such in the whole of West Africa, expect for some the countries in the northern part of Africa and that is around the Suez canal where you have one station and it has helped in that region to reduce pirate activities".
The marine surveyor also lamented that, "There is no coordination with the Navy and if the Navy is well coordinated they will do their job effectively” he added.
He said that for pirate to be fought to a standstill the government needs to establish communication stations, adding that speed boats provided by the Navy are not enough to tackle sea robbery activities.