By Stephen Ubanna
Bashir Jamoh, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, international rating in Maritime circles appears to have improved tremendously over the last two years due to the rapid decline in the activities of Piracy and sea thieves in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea, GoG.
Jamoh’s efforts may have been recgnised by the International Maritime Bureau, IMB, a specialised department of the International Chamber of Commerce, with responsibilities in ‘’fighting crimes relate to maritime trade and transportation, particular, piracy and commercial fraud and protecting the Crews of ocean –going vessels. The Bureau, which was founded in 1981, was said to have been endorsed by the United Nation, UN’s martime agency, International Maritime Organisation,IMO.It’s present Director, according to informed sources is Captain Pteengal Mukundan.
Note that the Bureau publishes a weekly piracy report and maintains a 24-hour piracy reporting centre in Kunala Lumur, Capital of the Asian country of Malaysia. It is not surprising why its monthly reports on Piracy activities in maritime nations are taken serious by member countries of the IMO.
Recall that in May, 2022, the Bureau had reported that there was no established case of attack on any ocean- going vessels laden with oil or Merchandise cargoes in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea, Go,. This is because of the tight security that had been provided in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea by the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies with the support of Jamoh led Maritime Regulatory agency.
NIMASA was said to have made available for to the agencies the Deep Blue Project $195 million maritime security Assets supplied by HLSI System and Technologies Limited , an Israeli, security firm security firm which won the contract in 2017. The Assets which were supplied to the agency by the Israeli security firm include 17 Interception Boats for Coastal Patrol, 16 Armoured Vehicles, three Helicopters, and Two Special Mission Vessels.This is in addition to Two Special Mission aircrafts for Surveillance of Nigerian Exclusive Economic Zone, EEZ and four Umanned Aerial Vehicles, UAVs.
The good works of the Jamoh led NIMASA Management in containing the activities of Pirates and Sea thieves in Nigerian waters and the GoG, may have also encouraged the Asian country f Japan, to sign an Exchange Note of High speed Boat with the Nigerian government to further enhance the agency Coastal security services.
Indeed, the impact of the NIMASA maritime security assets over the last two six months have been very revealing as many of the Pirates and sea thieves, were said to have gone underground forced to relocate to the West African countries of Ghana, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, and the Central African countries of Cameroon and Gabon to carry out their nefarious activities , thus making the Nigerian waters and the GoG, now conducive to Foreign ocean- going vessels.
The IMB, in its latest report on piracy activities in maritime nations had lauded NIMASA, in its efforts to have reduced drastically the activities of Piracy and sea thieves in Nigerian water ways and the GoG. The body has described it as a’’ new dawn for he shipping community globally’’. It noted that going by what is currently happening in the Nigerian maritime domain and the GoG, ‘’Nigeria has never had it so good’’ , that even the international community have recognised its efforts in dealing decisively with the piracy and sea thieves to make the Nigerian waters and GoG, safe for ocean going vessels.
The IMB, half year report on piracy activities in Nigeria may have gladdened the heart of Jamoh, the NIMASA, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, as it had never happened in the country since 1994. The Bureau, was said to have received’’ the lowest number of reported cases of vessels attack , which is an indication of the agency efforts in ‘’ raising awareness to the fact that Nigerian waters and GoG region are safe globally’’.
Maritime analysts believe that since the Gulf of Guinea Declaration on Suppression in May 2021, ‘’there had not been any established incident of Seafarers kidnap. That much was confirmed by the IMB, in their monthly report. The body which had been monitoring Piracy activities n Nigerian waters and the Gulf of GoG, had described’’ the feat as commendable progress in comparison to the 2020, statistics when 130 seafarers were abducted’’.
He had said that the International Maritime Community are appreciative of its efforts to restore sanity in Nigerian maritime domain and the GoG. He may not given the credit alone to Nigeria and its security agencies but also attributed it ‘’ to the Collaborative efforts between Nigerian Navy and other regional Naval personnel for the considerable reduction in Piracy in Nigerian waters and the GoG. According to him, ‘’the regional cooperation had played important role in reducing incidents of piracy in the GoG’’.
Th NIMASA Director General, who could not his feelings , noted that the establishment of the GoG Maritime Collaboration Forum for shared awareness and Cnfliction , GoG-MCF/Shade had enabled working – level stakeholders from the GoG and outside the region’’ to connect and discuss how best to tackle piracy in the area.
While commending the developments at the Baltic and International Maritime COUNCIL, BIMCO, described as the world’s largest direct membership Organisation for ship owners, Charteres, ship brokers and agents, Jamoh was said’’ to have called for the effective and full deployment of Deep Blue Assets in ant-piracy tasking’’.
He asserted that the series of meetings under the umbrella of the Gulf of Guinea Coordination Forum, Shared Awareness and Deconfliction , MoG/SHADE , as reported by BIMCO,also played a major role in bringing the activitieS of the pirates and sea thieves in Nigerian waters and the GoG, to a significant drop in the first half of 2022. Michael Hewlett , could authoritatively declare in International maritime circles that ‘’there was no case of vessel hijack , In Nigerian waters which may have gladden the heart of foreign hip owners and Charters to take their vessels to Lagos ports of Apapa, Tincan Iland Port Multi- services Terminal Limited, PTML, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal, phases Iand II, including the south east ports of Onne, Rivers, Delta and Calabar.
An elated Jamoh, had said that ‘’ the key to the successes in the war against piracy and sea thieves in the Nigerian waters and the GoG, are the Nigerian Navy, under the close watch of Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, the Deep Blue Proje C4i coastal surveillance and collaboration with International navies for Law enforcement off Nigerian waters’’.
