Master Mariners Say NIMASA Is The Only Body Than Can Implement ISPS Code

The Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM) has said that it is only the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) that has the statutory responsibility of implementing International Shipping and Ports Security (ISPS) Code.
The association said this recently in Lagos at its quarterly paper presentation, which focused on ‘Coastguards and Navies, the roles and responsibilities of the Nigerian Navy’.
Speaking at the event, a member of the association; Captain Tajudeen Alao said that it is NIMASA that has the responsibility of implementing both IMO laws and other international laws, while the Nigerian Navy has the responsibility of enforcing national laws.
Captain Alao also advised the government to provide coastal patrol boats to man all the estuaries, even as he maintained that it is the responsibility of the Nigerian government through NIMASA to train and certify seafarers. He also said that the NIMASA has the right to register ships.
Presenting the paper on Coastguards and Navies, the roles and responsibilities of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral GSA Ombo (RTD) said that the Nigerian Navy has the mandate to defend, police and work in synergy with numerous safety and security agencies of the government.
According to him, “It is pertinent to note that all these constitutional and statutory responsibilities on the Nigerian Navy are primarily imbedded in the coastal functions of the navy’s policing role. In addition to these responsibilities, the Nigerian Navy as part of its nation building functions such as anti-piracy and illegal bunkering patrols, including internal security operations that are primarily asymmetric and rapidly changing alone and in conjunction with sister services” he concluded. 
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