Determined to protect the marine environment from the impact of shipping activities, the federal government has rolled out measures to enable the country achieve net zero carbon emission for shipping by 2050 in line with the policy of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

Speaking in Lagos yesterday at the 2020 World Maritime Day celebration organised by the Federal Ministry of Transportation with the theme 'New Technologies for Greener Shipping,' minister of transportation, Mu'azu Sambo, said Nigeria is committed to the disbursement of the much-awaited Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) to enable ship owners to acquire newer ships with modern technologies that would reduce environmental hazard.

According to him, private sector operators need to commit to investing in more modern platforms and assets that will meet the emission levels of the future.

Sambo said the entire maritime community has a role to play in bringing about a greener and sustainable maritime industry in the areas of resource mobilisation, maritime training, awareness, job creation and full implementation of maritime laws and regulations.

He called on the private sector operators - who are the beneficiaries of policies put in place by government to address carbon emission to support the full implementation and deploy adequate resources and emerging technologies in partnership with the government to address carbon emission.

Listing other strategies, director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Bashir Jamoh, said Nigeria plans to cut its Greenhouse Gas emissions intensity by 20 per cent by 2030 - and a further 45 per cent reduction conditional on receiving climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building.

He said Nigeria will adopt a National Action Plan in 2023 that will ensure that the National Technical Committee on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships will be strengthened and tasked to develop a clear and achievable plan.