Lagos – The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to maritime security through the full implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.

The Head, Corporate Communications Team of Nigerian maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Hajia Lami Tumaka said on Friday that the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, made the remarks in Washington DC, U.S.

The minister led a delegation to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Head Office in Washington DC.

The Minister expressed the Government’s appreciation for the support of the USCG in implementing the ISPS code in Nigeria and assured the international shipping community that the country was committed to the full implementation of the code to safe guard the maritime domain.

He said that since taking over the implementation of the ISPS Code as the Designated Authority (DA) in Nigeria, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) had performed creditably moving the compliance level from 9 per cent in 2013 to 79.3 per cent in 2016.

According to Amaechi, Nigeria appreciates the efforts and support of the U.S. Government in encouraging a cordial bilateral relationship with Nigeria not only in the area of maritime security but also in other areas.

“I want to assure the U.S. Coast Guard and indeed the international shipping community of Nigeria’s commitment to the full implementation of the ISPS code to further institute a strict security regime in our maritime environment,” he said.

The minister also requested the U.S. government to revisit the Condition of Entry (COE) earlier placed on vessels that had called some port facilities in Nigeria which were not compliant with the code.

He said that over 80 per cent of those facilities had since complied with the code and needed to be removed from the COE list.

Receiving the delegation, the Assistant Commandant of the USCG, Rear Adm. Paul Thomas, expressed the U.S. Government’s determination to continue to support Nigeria in its goal of full implementation of the ISPS code.

Thomas, who oversees the USCG Directorates of Inspection and Compliance as well as Marine Transport Systems, commended Nigeria for its progress in the ISPS code implementation so far.

He said that the visit to the U.S. was aimed at exposing the delegation to some of the strategies adopted by America to successfully implement the code.

The visit which was at the invitation of the USCG is expected to serve as an exchange programme for the Nigerian delegation, exposing them to the implementation strategies of the U.S.so as to replicate same in Nigeria.

The minister was accompanied on the visit by the Director, Maritime Safety and Security in the ministry, Mr. Danjuma Dauda, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside and the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Usman.