Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); D r Bashir Jamoh said Nigeria’s waters might no longer be designated as high-risk areas soon, given the concerted efforts that had ensured minimal cases of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea from late 2021 to date.
The NIMASA DG disclosed this at the 53rd Session of the State House Briefing organised by the presidential communications team at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja last week.
Nigeria’s maritime waters are currently designated as high-risk areas by BMP-5, which consists of the five largest global shipping industry associations—International Association of Dry Cargo Ship Owners, International Association of Independent Tank Owners, International Chamber of Shipping, Oil Companies International Marine Forum and Baltic and International Maritime Council.
The designation has since led to high shipping costs for Nigeria-bound vessels, including the annual war risk surcharge, which, according to the International Maritime Bureau, has cost Nigeria $2.74bn.
Fielding questions on the issue on Thursday, Jamoh said although Nigeria was still under supervision from the global maritime safety umpires, its ability to maintain minimal incidents consistently would see it exiting the infamous list soon.
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He stated, “So, the country (Nigeria) is being rated. Our rating must take a longer time for them to see and understand. Our rating continues to increase as we continue to see calmer and safer operations in our territorial waters.
“We expect the report from Lloyds of London and those conglomerate insurance companies that determine the position of war risk worldwide and see what we can get.
“Kenya has been on that list for over a decade. But this year, they removed Kenya from that list.”
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