NIMASA’s new high-tech Ship Registry certificates to stem fraud
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has introduced new Nigerian Ship Registry certificates as part of efforts to reduce the growing number of counterfeiting of ship registry certificates for the nation’s shipping business,
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dakuku Peterside, unveiled the new certificates, to ship owners in Lagos.
He pointed out that counterfeiting certificate renders the entire gamut of systems and processes designed to prevent the entry of unseaworthy and sub-standard ships into the Nigerian flag, a nullity.
He noted the new certificates will run concurrently with all the old certificates that are still valid.
NIMASA would begin to issue the certificates that come with high leveled technical features that made it near impossible for quacks to fake, by end of first quarter of this year.
According to him, Nigeria operates a Closed Registry with about 2,725 active vessels of various capacity.
“In 2019, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) ranked the Nigerian Ship Registry number two in Africa after Liberia (which operates an Open Registry) and 46 in the whole world,” he said.
He further stated that in 2018/19, Nigeria attracted into its register, two high index capacity vessels – “Egina FPSO” and “MT Ultimate”.
The goal of NIMASA as a Maritime Safety Administration, was to create a world class Ship Registry which will be attractive to ship owners with the aim of maintaining the influence of Nigeria in evolving international commercial and regulatory environment for shipping.