Stakeholders Suggest Ways To Enhance Maritime Security

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Cooperation of all government and private sector stakeholders has been described as vital to achieving effective security and preventing crude oil theft within the nation’s maritime domain.

Stakeholders in the maritime industry expressed the view at a one-day seminar on “Essence of Private Sector Participation in Maritime Security” organised by the Maritime Reporters Congress of Nigeria, (MARCON) in Lagos recently.

A communiqué issued at the end of the seminar urged agencies like the Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Safety and Security, (PICOMSS), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), Nigeria Navy (NN) and other government and private sector stakeholders to forge a common front to address the challenge threatening the country’s over $600 million fishing industry and  leading to a loss of over N2 trillion to oil thieves annually.

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Guest speaker at the event and Rector, College of Maritime Transport Management and Technology, Dr. Alex Okwuashi, described the conflicts arising from the implementation of the International Ship and Port-Facility Security (ISPS) code between PICOMSS and NIMASA as unhealthy.

According to Okwuashi, “Maritime security is best achieved with the blend of public and private maritime security activities on a global scale into an integrate effort that addresses all maritime threats.

“The suggested national strategy on maritime security should combine a deliberate and co-ordinated effort by the Federal Ministry of Transport,(FMOT) through its maritime administration for a security programme and initiative. A national effort involving the appropriate federal, state, local governments and private sector organisations should also be worked out and governments can then leverage on the capabilities of the joint effort.”

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