In a bid to ensure that the nation’s seaports become competitive among others in the West Africa sub-region, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) says it has commenced a total digital manifest management regime for all vessels calling at all Nigerian Ports.
It said physical transactions concerning sailing certificates and cargo manifest processing are being phased out completely as stakeholders are encouraged to fully embrace the agency’s initiative by visiting the NIMASA portal.
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The Director-General of the agency Dr Bashir Jamoh, said that the automation is aimed at further reducing human interaction, improving efficiency, and blocking revenue leakages.
According to him, “We have improved our operational relationship with our sister agencies.
“As we speak, we have made tremendous progress in our determination to convey sailing clearance for vessels to the NPA electronically. We also receive and process manifests electronically.
“This has improved efficiency leading to improvement in the turn-around-time of vessels calling at the nation’s ports.
“Right now we have ensured that the process of submitting and processing manifests is reduced from 72 hours to 5hours for VLCCs (Very Large Crude Carriers) and larger container vessels whereas it would only take two hours or less for smaller vessels).
“You would agree with me that these are marked improvements and it’s still a work in progress,” he said.
