The Director General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has restated the Agency’s commitment towards the enforcement of strict safety regulations at sea, in order to ensure the protection of  Nigeria’s Marine Environment and Safety of Assets.

Speaking during the opening of the ongoing 4^th Regional Technical Search and Rescue Committee meeting in Lagos, Dakuku said that the establishment of an Emergency Service Division which is entrusted with the responsibility of rendering Search and Rescue Services to vessels and mariners in distress within the Nigerian territorial waters is a major accomplishment for the Agency.

Dr. Peterside who was represented at the event by the Agency’s Executive Director Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr. Gambo Ahmed, stated that the Agency as the regional coordinator of Search and Rescue for West and Central Africa remains committed to leading the region in that light. He added that aside continuous trainings of SAR officials, NIMASA is coming up with other modalities to complement its SAR plan.

In his words, “seafarers worldwide have the obligation to assist other ships in distress and as part of our commitment to SAR we have registered and trained volunteers as Maritime SAR Marshals in the riverine and inland areas. The psychic behind this is to ensure that these marshals are close to the loading/unloading bays of river crafts and thus enforce strict observance of regulations with respect to safety of lives and assets at sea”.

The Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization, IMO. Mr. Kitack Lim, represented by the Regional Coordinator, West and Central Africa-Anglophone, Technical Cooperation Division, IMO, Capt. Dallas Laryea stated that international trade is very critical to the world’s economy with an estimation of 90% of world trade and two thirds of its energy supplies carried by sea which makes safety paramount.

Capt. Laryea commended NIMASA for its systematic and well laid-down procedures which the Agency has put in place to respond to emergencies that may occur at sea, especially in the Gulf of Guinea.

He charged the Agency to continue to support the region and urged member states of the regional SAR to continue to collaborate to ensure a safe and secure West and Central African maritime domain.

It would be recalled that Nigeria is the host of the Regional Search and Rescue Coordinating Center and this is the 4^th meeting of the Regional Search and Rescue Committee with attendance of member states which includes; Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Garbon, Democratic Republic of Congo,  Congo Brazzaville, Benin Republic, Cameroun, Sao Tome & Principe, Nigeria.