Vincent Toritseju
03 January 2018, Sweetcrude, Lagos – The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, says it would provide a guide to maritime sector investors and stakeholders through an industry forecast it will release this quarter.
It said the guide will forecast the outlook for the industry in Nigeria as well as highlight developments on the international scene that would affect the industry in Nigeria,
NIMASA’s Director General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, disclosed this in Lagos, noting that the forecast would be holistic in order to ensure investors and stakeholders are acquainted with areas of advantage that will be of benefit to them, both locally and internationally.
He said: “On the positive side, it will look at where the opportunities will be in the year 2018 and 2019″, adding that it will provide answers as to whether greater investment in oil and gas will translate to more demand for offshore support vessels while highlighting what the government and its agencies should do to attract more investment in the industry, amongst other issues.
The agency boss noted that the maritime industry forecast will also look at whether there will be improvement in maritime security especially in the Niger Delta and the impact this will have on shipping.
The expected impact of NIMASA’s partnership with the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board, NCDMB, on Cabotage implementation and international shipping will be another area the forecast will focus on, he said.
According to him, it will also analyse the projected impact of a shift to digital shipping in Nigeria and the attendant effect on Nigerian shippers.
Dr. Peterside also noted that the maritime forecast to be released by NIMASA will look at the impact of a global emphasis on blue economy and how Nigerians can benefit from it.
In the area of capacity building, director-general noted that two new specialised universities – the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, and the Admiralty University – are expected to begin academic activities this year, in addition to an already repositioned Maritime Academy of Nigeria in Oron, Akwa Ibom State.
