NIMASA and the ISPS implementation efforts By Patrick Akpobolokemi The United States Government recently issued a 90-day ultimatum to the Nigerian Government requiring its Designated Authority, DA, for International Ship and Port Facility Security, ISPS, code implementation, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, to ensure nationwide compliance, failure to do so resulting in a possible sanction for Nigeria. However, recent misinformation being peddled in the media has necessitated that NIMASA should set the records straight by highlighting what the Agency is doing in its capacity as DA to address the United States Coast Guard, USCG, report and to explain the successes of the ISPS Code implementation at this stage. The ISPS Code was adopted by the International Maritime Organization, IMO and became mandatory for implementation by all contracting governments in July 2004. The objective was to establish an international frame work that would help ensure the global maritime domain was better secured from the threat of terrorism. The code was to apply to vessels above 500 gross tonnages engaged in international voyage as well as the Port Facilities, PFs that service them. Nigeria being a signatory to the IMO charter was among the member states that ratified the code and thus set out to implement the code in order to ensure the nation’s compliance by the due date. Consequently, the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2004 inaugurated the Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime safety and Security, PICOMMS, to act as the country’s DA and to ensure the nation’s compliance as required by the ISPS Code. Nigeria was able to meet the deadline and was confirmed by the IMO as compliant that same year. PICOMSS continued to function as the DA until the committee was formally wound down late 2012. On May 21, 2013, the DA mandate was formally transferred to NIMASA following an official letter issued by the Ministry of Transport. Upon receipt of the letter, the Agency immediately set out to institute a fresh implementation programme as needed. A General Stakeholders Conference was convened to announce the new arrangement and to sound off the public on the imminent activities and programme to accompany this new ISPS implementation. Upon assumption as DA, NIMASA encountered several challenges, one of which was the December 2012 expiration of all Statement of Compliance for Port Facility, SoCPF which is the mandatory annual certification every PF must have in order to be deemed compliant by the IMO. The Agency had early in the year proactively issued a Marine Notice extending the validity of these certificates till July 2013. With this fast-approaching deadline, a solution to recertify these facilities was required. Another challenge was the issuance of the US diplomatic note indicting some PFs in the country for having deficient security measures/arrangements. The report went on to issue a 90-day ultimatum within which the country was to have addressed the observed deficiencies. It must be mentioned that the USCG inspection exercise that led to this report was carried out months and in some cases years before NIMASA was appointed DA. Nonetheless, NIMASA has taken up the challenge in ensuring that the country does not suffer the embarrassment of such sanctions as contained in the report. Consequently, an action plan was developed and immediately activated to aggressively close the reported gaps. This effort included dispatching competent recognized security organizations to conduct security surveys and assessments aimed at identifying and correcting these deficiencies and any other observed vulnerabilities. Whilst focusing on these facilities listed in the USCG report, measures are already underway to address the generality of PFs in the nation’s maritime domain. This action plan has been given a nod by the USCG and it has pledged to support the efforts of the DA in ensuring the issues raised are remedied. The DA has outlined its implementation framework in the form of a handbook to enable the public understand its agenda with respect to this new implementation regime. The Management of NIMASA has since approved an ISPS Code Implementation Committee to help oversee the implementation mandate. Aside from key NIMASA personnel who form part of this committee, membership has been drawn from other key government stakeholder agencies such as the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Nigeria Police, State Security Service, SSS, Customs and Immigrations, among others. This committee has since resumed sitting and is fully attending to the task it has been assigned. In order to establish the number location and nature of operations of all PFs and jetties in the country, NIMASA has commissioned a stocktaking of the nation’s coastal maritime assets. This audit will help the DA capture and catalogue all port/berthing facilities as well as verify their ISPS Code compliance status. All PFs – including those mentioned in the US diplomatic note to Nigeria – are also currently undergoing security assessments as a step towards preparing security plans that are ISPS Code compliant. The DA has just recently concluded Verification Inspection Exercises; VIE, on all shore-based PFs in the country. The report of this VIE will form the basis for re-certification of these PFs in line with ISPS code requirements. PFs deemed non-compliant will not be recertified and in extreme cases, attract added punitive action. One of the problems that had plagued PFs, jetties and terminals is lack of understanding of the ISPS Code, its relevance and application. This was roundly captured in the US diplomatic note as security personnel were found to be ignorant of the code. To address this, policies and measures are being put in place to ensure more training and capacity building among not just security personnel but all personnel in the maritime sector as everybody has a role to play in the ISPS theatre. Security companies that provide guard force personnel to companies operating in the maritime domain will now be required to provide ISPS training for their personnel seeing that they are functionally the primary custodians of the ISPS protocol. These security companies as well as vendors and infrastructure service provides in the maritime sector are undergoing registration with the DA in order to ensure better regulation and to streamline their activities in the maritime security arena. Mr. Akpobolokemi, is Director General NIMASA
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 00:17:41 +0000
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