Mkpoikana Udoma
16 December 2018, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt — The Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, on Friday advised boat operators in Rivers state to ensure their boats are mechanically sound before boarding passengers.
The coordinator of NIMASA, Eastern Zone, Mr. Heaky Dimowo, said this at the Marine Base Jetty in Port-Harcourt, during a one-day safety sensitization programme, organised by the agency for boat operators in the state.
Dimowo also cautioned the boat operators to avoid over speeding and keep accurate records of their manifest.
Also speaking, the Public Relations Officer of Speed Boat Owners Association in the state, Mr. George Ota, commended NIMASA for the sensitization programme.
Ota appealed to the agency as well as other corporate organizations and agencies to assist in providing training and safety equipment to boat drivers to cut down the rate of boat accidents on the waterways
He also called on government at all levels to evacuate the debris dumped into the rivers and initiate regular training for boat operators in the state.