The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has threatened to sanction owners of abandoned Ships/Vessels who do not remove them from the Nigerian territorial waters on or before April 28, 2017.
In issuing the warning, Director General of the Agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside said: “in line with our mandate on the protection of the marine environment and safety of navigation within Nigerian waters and our powers as the receiver of wrecks; owners of all abandoned ships, vessels and derelicts are sternly warned to seek removal plan permits from the Agency and ensure the removal of these wrecks and derelicts from our waters on or before April 28th, 2017 failure of which would attract appropriate sanction”.
The NIMASA helmsman also reeled out the sanctions to include removal of such wrecks at the owners’ expense as well as forfeiture of the vessels, stating that the Agency is empowered to do so in line with the powers vested in it by the Merchant Shipping Act 2007 and other enabling Acts and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) instruments.
Isichei Osamgbi, Head of Corporate communication is statement said: “It should be noted that Nigeria is party to the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks (Nairobi Convention 2007).
“The Convention is a treaty of the IMO with the purpose of prompt and effective removal of Shipwrecks located in the Parties’ territorial waters including its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that may be hazardous to navigation or environment. The convention gives States’ Authority to remove wrecks and in Nigeria’s case NIMASA is the receiver of wrecks.”
