As Talks On Adoption of the SPOMO Act Continues 

Notwithstanding issues of insecurity affecting coastal and landlocked States in Africa and efforts being made by government/institutions to address the menace, the director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Yusuf Bashir Jamoh has expressed hope on the removal of the War Risk Insurance imposed on Nigeria bound vessels and cargoes by foreign shipping firms.

Dr. Bashir Jamoh, Director General, NIMASA

Speaking with select journalists in his office, Jamoh said the IBM and other Piracy monitoring agencies are pleased with efforts made by Nigeria in the fight against piracy and sea crimes.

“We have made tremendous efforts in the battle against piracy and sea crimes which the global shipping community have acknowledged and commended us for.  “They appreciate the efforts we have made and continue to make to ensure the safety of ships and crew in the gulf of Guinea region.  We have been assured of the gradual removal of the world risk insurance as they continue to monitor and watch events in the gulf of Guinea”, Jamoh said

“Since the deployment of the deep blue project assets, there had been a steady decline in piracy attacks in the Nigerian waters on a monthly basis. We therefore invite the international shipping community to rethink the issue of war risk insurance on cargo bound for our ports. Nigeria has demonstrated enough commitment towards tackling maritime insecurity to avert such premium burden,”

The considerable decline in piracy cases in the GoGs is considered commendable progress in comparison to the 2020 statistics when 130 seafarers were kidnapped. The status report from the GoG declaration also confirmed that there has not been any case of kidnap for ransom in 2022, as against 20 cases in 2020 and 12 in 2021.

The NIMASA Boss reaffirmed that Nigeria is committed to sustaining the momentum of the successes recorded in recent times in the fight against piracy in the region.

“It is heart-warming that the international maritime community is acknowledging the progress made so far. It is a direct result of collaboration amongst national, regional and non-regional stakeholders. It is our hope that this trend will be sustained and very soon, we will start reaping the benefits such as a change of status concerning the Insurance premium paid on Nigerian bound cargoes; We are confident that this status will change very soon”, Jamoh said.

Recall that the International Maritime Bureau IMB confirmed that no case of vessel hijack took place in Nigerian waters in the first half of 2022. The ICC and International Maritime Bureau (IMB) have confirmed that the first half of 2022 witnessed the least cases of piracy globally in 28 years with only 58 reported cases as compared to 68 within same period in 2021.

Interestingly, of 58 reported incidents, 2 were classified as Piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea, with none of them occurring in Nigerian waters. While the reduction in reported incidents is indeed encouraging, the IMB PRC continues to caution against complacency.

According to IMB Director, Michael Howlett, “Not only is this good news for the seafarers and the shipping industry, it is positive news for trade which promotes economic growth. But the areas of risk shift and the shipping community must remain vigilant. We encourage governments and responding authorities to continue their patrols which create a deterrent effect.”

Speaking on the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act was signed into law in by President Muhammadu Buhari and proposed adoption of the legislation by some African countries, Jamoh said discussions are ongoing as more countries are indicating interests on the adoption of the SPOMO Act to enable them tackle issues of Piracy and other sea criminalities effectively.