The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, says inter-agency collaboration is key to sustainable resolution of the problem of accident in the Nigerian inland waterways, which has led to avoidable loss of lives and property.
Jamoh made the assertion at an awareness forum in Lagos organised by the NIMASA in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA).
The NIMASA boss, who was represented by the Head of Marine Accident Investigation Unit, Captain Abayomi Coker, stated that the agency was committed to the search for a lasting solution to the loss of lives and property in the country’s maritime domain.
“NIMASA established the Marine Accident investigation Unit to conduct investigations to establish the circumstances, and causes of accidents in the Nigerian maritime domain. We then identify the inadequacies in maintenance of vessel and their equipment, the competence of all shipboard staff and their operational
practices and procedures. We seek measures which can be implemented to avoid reoccurrence of such accidents in future and inter Agency collaboration has been identified to play a major role”. He said
Officials of the MWUN, NIWA, NPA and LASWA joined their colleagues from NIMASA to engage non convention boat operators on boat maintenance, boarding and disembarking procedures marine accident reporting procedures, firefighting and prevention procedures and protection of the marine environment amongst other issues.
In a related development graduating students from the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Research were drilled on safety measures onboard seagoing vessels by NIMASA.
In his address at the event, NIMASA DG Dr Bashir Jamoh noted that majority of accidents in the maritime sector were caused as a result of human errors and that understanding the basic factors concerning the human element was an essential step toward forestalling or mitigating such accidents.
