Protect Territorial Waters As Agreed, Minister Tells Maritime Administrators

Minister of Transport Senator Idris Umar, , has called on Heads of Maritime Administrations to protect territorial waters as recommended in the Abuja Memorandum of Understand (MoU).
Umar made the call in Uyo at the inauguration of a joint International Maritime Organisation (IMO)/AbujaMoU workshop.
He said concerted effort should be made to ensure that the waters were not endangered by sub-standard ships and pollution.

Minister of Transport Senator Idris Umar, , has called on Heads of Maritime Administrations to protect territorial waters as recommended in the Abuja Memorandum of Understand (MoU).
Umar made the call in Uyo at the inauguration of a joint International Maritime Organisation (IMO)/AbujaMoU workshop.
He said concerted effort should be made to ensure that the waters were not endangered by sub-standard ships and pollution.
He said the Abuja MoU derived its title in October, 1999 when 19 countries in the sub-region signed the MoU on Port State Control (PSC) for West and Central Africa region in Abuja.
The minister said the essence of PSC was to ensure that member states were obliged with the responsibility to protect marine environment from sub-standard ships and pollution.
Umar was represented at the workshop by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Mr Nebolisa Emodi,
The minister said that Nigeria, being a major maritime nation, was committed to fulfilling its obligations as a host country and a member state of the Abuja MoU.
He, however, stressed the need for member states to allocate adequate resources to PSC, increase their inspection efforts and make the seas attractive for standard shipping.     
The minister said the workshop would strengthen the capacity of national maritime administration in implementing the AU Plan of Action on Maritime Transport and the Abuja MoU work plan.
In his address, the Secretary General, Abuja MoU on PSC, Mrs Mfon Usoro, called for an aggressive advocacy for member states to implement PSC obligation to maritime administrations.
Usoro said that the workshop was aimed at revitalising maritime administration in the Abuja MoU region.
“The programme is designed for policy makers and top experts who advise their various governments on maritime matters,’’ she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that delegates from Guinea Bissau, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sao Tome and Principe are participating for the first time. (NAN)