KOREDE FOGO
The Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) Ship Management Limited (NSML), on Wednesday, attributed the reduction in piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), and nation’s coastal water to the deep blue project anchored by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Speaking at the yearly conference of, Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN), in Lagos, the managing director, NSML, Abdulkadir Ahmed, said piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), had been a worrisome phenomenon in the global maritime industry as incidents and attacks soared in the last decade.
He, however, said the launched deep blue project significantly reduced the impact and frequency of piracy incidents in the GoG.
He said, “Deep Blue Initiative by NIMASA has significantly reduced the impact and frequency of piracy incidents. According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), continues to be the hotspot for piracy attacks with 43 per cent of all regional attacks in 2021.
“Pirates operating in the region are well equipped to attack further away from shorelines and are unafraid to take violent actions against innocent crews. Though these security challenges persist, the recently launched “Deep Blue Initiative” by NIMASA has significantly reduced the impact and frequency of these piracy incidents.”

Ahmed said NSML, as the foremost ship management and largest employer of seafarers in Nigeria, has continued to contribute and play a critical role in addressing some industry challenges, which includes implementation of the Seafarers Continuous Development Program (SCDP), in conjunction with NIMASA, to ensure development and continuous supply of certified, competent, and qualified
Nigerian seafarers.
He said over 107 Nigerian cadets have successfully completed their sea-time training on the Seafarers Continuous Development Programme (SCDP); an NSML scheme aimed at providing training berth spaces for Nigerian cadets onboard the NSML-managed vessels.
According to him, the Maritime Centre of Excellence (MCoE) is also currently supervising the construction of a newbuild LPG vessel of a Nigerian company in the
Hyundai Mipo Shipyard in Korea.
This, he said, is a further testament of NSML’s capabilities of delivering complex maritime projects to the overall benefits of her clients-specifically- and the nation generally.
Also speaking, chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos Chapter, Adeleye Ajayi urged the federal Government to urgently address the many challenges bedeviling the maritime sector.

He said the corruption in the shipping sector, policy conflicts and inconsistencies across different regulatory agencies, high operating cost in cargo clearing and delivery chain as well as high shipping charges by the terminal operators, are hampering growth of the sector.
He said there was need to efficiently upgrade hard and soft port infrastructure; and enhance trade libralisation, service cooperation and trade facilitation.
President, SCAN, Eugene Agha, said the maritime sector holds the key to Nigeria’s economy, hence the need for more enabling legislation to reposition the sector, tackle challenges and pull healthier competition and more gains.
He said: “Today, the dwindling global fancies for crude oil has increased focus to gas exploration and freighting, while piracy and other maritime criminalities remain a concern to both present and prospective investors, as well as regulators.
“The changing trend in the global energy sector demands a corresponding improvement and updating of the knowledge and skills of the media practitioners to continually avail stakeholders the opportunities and risks inherent in the sector,” he said.