Maritime

Insecurity: Belgium, Korea pledge to Support NIMASA

South Korea and Belgium has pledged to support the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), to curb piracy attacks, as Somalia Pirates threatened to attack Nigeria territorial waters.

The Deputy Director Public Relations, Mr. Kyanet Philips, stated in press release that the Director General of agency, Dr. Bashir Jamoh has reiterated the commitment of the Agency’s to curb criminal activities in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea.

Jamoh disclosed in the statement that the pirates often navigated through Nigeria’s maritime boundaries, and sometimes came through the land borders, adding that investigation has revealed that Somali pirates were now active in the nation’s territorial waters and the Gulf of Guinea.

Philips stated in the statement that South Korea and Belgium have pledged more support for the agency in its drive to enhance trade and security in the Nigerian maritime domain

He noted in the statement that the new Consul-General of the Korean Embassy, His Excellency, Kang Haenggu, and Ambassador Designate of Belgium, His Excellency, Daniel Bertrand, made the promise when they paid courtesy calls on the Director-General of NIMASA, , at the Agency’s headquarters in Lagos.

Dr. Jamoh,in his remark at the meetings said the Nigerian government placed high premium on safety and security of shipping in its waters and the Gulf of Guinea, and had invested heavily in maritime security infrastructure.

Dr. Jamoh said, “Nigeria has made huge investments in the establishment of a comprehensive maritime security infrastructure. The Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also called the Deep Blue Project, is designed to secure our waters, up to the Gulf of Guinea.

“The project is nearing completion, with more than 80 per cent of the assets, comprising Special Mission Vessels, Fast Intervention Boats, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and Armoured Vehicles, already in the country.

“The information and intelligence hub of the Deep Blue Project, the Command, Control, Communication, Computer, and Intelligence Centre (C4i), was commissioned in August last year. The Centre is up and running with round-the-clock production of needed maritime domain awareness. The C4i has helped to identify and monitor activities in the black spots, leading to arrests of many suspects in recent times.”

“We discovered a correlation between crimes in our waters and the activities of the Somali pirates,” he stated, adding, “They have a means of navigating from the coast of Somalia to Nigeria, through the waters of our West African neighbours. In some cases, they enter through the land borders and commission boats to carry out their activities.”

according to Jamoh in the statement, Nigeria had developed an action plan to monitor the progress of its National Maritime Security Strategy, saying, “Our goal is to achieve a sustainable end to criminal attacks in our territorial waters.”

The NIMASA boss in the statement called for South Korean and Belgian investments in the Nigerian maritime industry, particularly in the areas of wreck removal and shipbuilding, as well as assistance in the training and certification of Nigerian seafarers.

Haenggu and Bertrand pledged their determination to improve ties between their respective countries and Nigeria in shipping development and maritime security.

editor

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