22 May 2017, Sweetcrude, Lagos – A maritime industry player, Dr. Chris Asoluka, has commended the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on its initiative on the removal of wrecks from the nation’s territorial waters.
Speaking in Lagos recently, Dr. Asoluka, a former Chairman of Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA), noted that the efforts of the Dr. Dakuku Peterside-led management of NIMASA to reposition the maritime sector is a development long overdue.
According to Dr. Asoluka, abandoned wrecks pose danger to navigation and safety of lives and properties on the nation’s territorial waters,.
He called on owners of abandoned wrecks to co-operate with NIMASA by removing them promptly, in order to ensure a safe and secured maritime environment.
The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, had earlier stated that the agency was working closely with the Federal Ministry of Transportation to review the process of wreck removal on the nation’s waterways, especially the ones on the channels, as they pose great danger.
He noted that a marine notice had been issued by the agency to that effect and that anyone who refuses to comply with the notice will have his or her wrecks removed forcefully and might also face litigation. This is in line with the agency’s enabling Act and international protocol on wrecks removal, he said.