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Nigeria pledges to maintain safety standards in maritime industry

Xinhua, June 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Nigerian government said on Monday that it is committed toward maintaining standards in the nation's maritime industry, in accordance with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Conventions.

Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi made the pledge during the opening of Nigeria's IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS) in Abuja, the nation's capital city.

He assured the organization and stakeholders that government would continue to abide by all the IMO conventions it had ratified in a bid to turn around the fortunes of the industry.

The minister said the objective of the audit was to promote consistent and effective implementation of the six applicable IMO instruments and assisting member states to improve their capabilities.

He added that the exercise would also help member states in the enforcement of those instruments to enhance their overall performance in complying with IMO conventions.

According to him, the six instruments are the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), Prevention of Pollution from Ship (MARPOL) and Standards of Training Certification and Watch Keeping for Sea Farers (STCW) Convention.

Other instruments are Load Lines (LL) Convention, Tonnage Measurement of Ships Convention and Regulations for Prevention of Collisions at Sea (COLREG).

Earlier, the Leader of the IMO Auditors, Cahit Yakin, said the exercise was a good chance to help the country to target appropriate action to develop the industry, adding that the country would derive many benefits from it.

Yakin said the audit was a suitable way to measure performance with the involvement of international experts.

He told the minister that the exercise was objective and an independent process and that the and results were confidential.

Yakin said the audit would take place between June 6 and June 14, adding that the results would be presented at the closing exercise in Lagos. Endit