Even as stakeholders have commended the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as Designated Authority (DA) for the implementation of the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code in Nigeria, fresh indications have emerged that the implementation of the code might be rubbing-off on Nigerian economy.
Even as stakeholders have commended the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as Designated Authority (DA) for the implementation of the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code in Nigeria, fresh indications have emerged that the implementation of the code might be rubbing-off on Nigerian economy.
Master Mariner and former consultant to the International Maritime Organization (IMO); Capt Abiodun Omoteso last week said that vessels calling at Nigerian ports now demand ISPS Code charges before they can sail to the nation’s ports because of what they claimed as insecurity in the region.
Omoteso stated this at a One Day seminar organized by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) titled "ISPS Code Implementation in Nigeria, How Far and How well”.
According to the IMO consultant, Nigerian economy is currently being affected by ISPS Code implementation because the cost of maintaining the needed security presence at port facilities is transferred to end consumers of cargoes.
"Can we think of what it costs the country to maintain security at the facilities, who bears the cost? If you go to a sensitive place like energy facility in Bonny, once a ship is having a gunboat alongside her, nothing can come close to it, who pays? It’s you and I, they will insure their business, but they top it up at the end, and this is why sometime goods are expensive in the market"
"The ships are being protected 24 hours by gun boats, before you can do this, it means you have experienced men with certification and they keep patrolling"
"If you look at the documentation from the port of Antwerp for example, you will see it clearly written there as 'ISPS Code Charges'" Omoteso stated.
He noted that the cost element of maintaining security at Nigerian terminals and vessels is driving businesses and the man on the street mad, but yet Nigeria has to implement the code like every other compliant nations.
The master mariner also cautioned NIMASA and the various Port Facility Security Officers (PFSO) at various terminals about the implications of security level changes. He said that the crew onboard the vessels will not be allowed to leave and there will be heavy presence of armed security operatives.
"A vessel might not want to call at a port with high security level, it is not economically viable for a ship to be on security level 2, these are the implication of security level changes and I know the designated authority is always careful before they ask you to change a level" he said.
Also speaking at the seminar, Port Facility Security Officer (PFSO) at a port terminal at Apapa port; Greenview Development Nigeria Limited (GDNL) Mr. George Umanna lamented that port users are currently frustrating the efforts of the various terminals in implementing ISPS Code.
Umanna said that many customers and port users refuse to subject themselves to security checks and other required security details before gaining access into the port.
"You must understand that once you have a good grasp of your access control, you have achieved 70% of ISPS Code implementation" he said.
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