Mkpoikana Udoma 03 September 2015, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt – The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, says it has implemented measures to keep maritime activities safe through better operations of the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre with effective incident management, search and rescue capabilities.
Acting Director-General of NIMASA, Haruna Baba Jauro, disclosed this during a workshop for the introduction of new seafarers’ medical screening, certification documents and medical fitness organised for seafarers and health providers in Port Harcourt.
Jauro, represented at the event by the Eastern Zonal Coordinator of NIMASA, Mr. Anthony Ogadi, said the agency has procured key operational inputs, such as patrol boat ambulances in addition to capacity building of human resources to maintain its activities.
He said that the occasion was, therefore, very important as it marked a milestone in the commitment of the Nigerian government to keeping maritime activities and the marine environment safe through fortification of the internationally recognised seafarers medical certification documents which NIMASA’s management developed in collaboration with Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Corporation.
According to him, “This occasion is very important event for NIMASA; it is an occasion in which the agency is strengthening one of its key functions, the administration of safety through the regulatory policy on medical certification of seafarers.
“The documents that are being introduced today are more secure documents which were printed with better security features to ensure that medical certificates of fitness for seafarers in Nigeria are authentic and in line with international standard.”
He assured all stakeholders in the sector that the federal government will strive to meet the needs of the sector through better administration of safety standards.
He further said that the agency has made efforts in compliance with international maritime laws to which Nigeria subscribe, notably the Safety of Lives at Sea, SOLAS, 1974 and the Search and Rescue, SAR, 1978 conventions, amongst others.
He added that to strengthen support for such convention, NIMASA has implemented measures such as “continuous liaison with international and external stakeholders in collaboration with regional bodies to keep maritime activities safe through better operation of the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, RMRCC, with effective incident management, search and rescue capabilities as well as procurement of key operational inputs.”
