The United States Coast Guard has described Nigerian seaports as safe following Nigeria's tremendous progress in implementing the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code at the nation's seaports,
LEADERSHIP reports that this new designation is geared towards providing actionable insights and data-based decisions to lift the Condition of Entry (CoE) placed on vessels departing Nigeria for the United States of America.
The United States Coast Guard, however, commended Nigeria and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for their considerable progress in implementing the ISPS Code.
Speaking to newsmen, Joe Prince Larson of the US Coast Guard, who led a team from the International Port Security Programme on a working tour of some terminals and ports in Nigeria to ascertain the level of implementation of the ISPS Code across Nigerian port facilities, said Nigeria's compliance with the ISPS Code ranks amongst the best globally.
The team had earlier conducted assessment visits to the Dangote Port and Lekki Free Trade Zones in Lekki, Lagos State, and private port facilities operated by Matrix and Julius Berger in Warri, Delta State.
While delivering an interim assessment report to NIMASA Management, Larson added that his team would report their findings to the US Coast Guard leadership accordingly and expressed confidence that NIMASA could maintain the high standards attained to date.
"We had the pleasure of visiting Matrix and Julius Berger in Warri, Delta State, before proceeding to the Lekki Deep Seaport and Dangote Port in Lagos, with the overall assessment being very positive.
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"We noted that there is a clear and deep understanding of the implementation of the ISPS Code in Nigeria with the level of compliance observed to be at par with some of the best maritime nations globally."
On his part, NIMASA DG, Dr Dayo Mobereola, spoke about the Agency's commitment to sustaining the improved compliance levels at the nation's ports while noting the effect this has on how Nigeria is perceived internationally.
He added that the Agency would continue to support efforts under the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, to improve standards in the Nigerian maritime industry.
He expressed happiness at the positive feedback received from the USCG delegation, saying it serves as a reward for the federal government's commitment to the development of the sector, and the work of the Agency, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, to ensure international standards are adhered to in the area of port security.
