’By Stehen Ubanna
Barely one month after the World Maritime Day, WMD, Celebration, in Oslo, Norway and in IMO, Headquarters, London, United Kingdom, on a hybrid basis with livestream, which aims ‘’ to champion innovation to accelerate the transition of the global maritime sector towards a zero- and low emission future, between September 28 and 29, 2022, Bashir Jamoh, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Agency, NIMASA, appears to have aligned with Kitack Lim, Secretary General, International Maritime Organisation, IMO.
Lim, the IMO, Secretary General, had announced last September during the 2022, WMD, Celebration, that there will be the World Maritime Day parallel event , WMDPE, in Duban South, from Wednesday October 12, 2022 and Friday, October 14, 2022.
The IMO event , was said to have been held by The Ports Regulator of South Africa , which , according to informed sources exercises economic regulation over eight Commercial South African managed by the National Ports Authority, NPA.
Jamoh, the NIMASA, Director General, had joined Lim, the IMO, Secretary General and other maritime experts in South African for the WMDPE. The NIMASA, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, may have seen the event, as opportunity to make an appreciative impact on other maritime nations by making his views known.
The NIMASA boss, was said to have called for maritime nations ‘’to actualize the adoption of modern technology as a means of attaining cleaner and greener shipping as announced in the 20222 ,WMD, by Lim, the IMO, Secretary General.
Jamoh, the NIMASA, Director General, who was given a national award of the Officer of Officer of Federal Republic , OFR, by President Muhammadu Buhari, which had coincided with the IMO , WMDPE, in South , on Friday, October 14, 2022, had said that ‘’Nigeria will seek to contribute to the global push towards reducing emissions from shipping activities by 2050, as set by the IMO’’.
He had alluded to the theme of this year’s MD event, ‘’New Technologies for greener shipping as declared by the IMO. Leadership, which calls for the global family of nations ‘’to take action on decarbonisation of shipping and ports through the use of zero or low carbon technologies, fuels and infrastructure’’.
He was emphatic that ‘’the ultimate goal of Nigeria, is to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the globe for sustainable development of the nation’s maritime sector’’. He noted that WMDPE, as one of the most important IMO maritime events on a global scale is a definitive stage for the international Community to make concrete contribution and progress on collaboration geared at innovative solutions ‘’to address mitigation strategies to reduce the maritime transport carbon footprint.
In his welcome address, the IMO, Secretary General, who could not hide his feelings had said that ‘’after a two –year pause in organising WMDPEs, due to the Asian country of China, emerged Coronavirus, popular, COVID 19, Pandemic , the global maritime agency, consider it as an enormous pleasure ‘’to be able to welcome all participants here in Durban , south Africa, for the 2022, WMDPE.
He had said that the Event was instituted ‘’to provide an opportunity to take the WMD, for 2022, theme’’on the road ‘’, describing it ‘’as one of the most important maritime events worldwide’’. He was said to have highlighted ‘’the need for innovation and inclusivity as shipping voyages to a decarbonized future, in which digitalization and automation will play a key role’’, I his address.
According to him, innovation is fundamental to the maritime industry’s successful energy transition. He further stated that’’ ‘’it requires new technologies , renewable alternative fuels and infrastructure to support low and zero carbon shipping , along with new financial solutions to support all those tactical aspects’’. He recalled that since 2015, when the WMD, celebrations was held in IMO, Headquarters, London, there had been a number of WMDPEs, hosted by member states. Lim is optimistic that more would been held after this year’s South event.
