The Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, said Nigeria has not recorded any piracy case in its waters from 2022 till date as he wooed the Norwegian government and its traders to Nigeria.
Jamoh stated this when the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Huitfeldt Anniken, paid a visit to NIMASA centre in Lagos.
The NIMASA boss said Nigeria recorded 82 cases of piracy in its waters in 2018 but that dropped to 61 in 2019 and down to 34 cases in 2021.
It was zero in 2022 and zero in the first quarter of 2023, Jamoh noted.
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The 2022 record of zero piracy attack is the best record in the last 20 years piracy in 2022.
Speaking on ship development, the DG assured that in couple of weeks the Cabotage Vessel Financing Funds (CVFF) will be disbursed to ship owners to help in fleet expansion adding that NIMASA is poised to advance shipping by ensuring a conducive environment for commercial shipping and encouraging more indigenous participation in the global shipping trade.
Anniken in her response said the Norwegian government will deepen its maritime trade with Nigeria following the removal of Nigeria’s name from the world piracy list.
She commended NIMASA’s efforts in combating piracy and insecurity, stating that when it comes to maritime security Nigeria is the place to look up to.
Following her visit to the agency’s C4i centre, she said Nigeria will be a good partner for Norway.
“I am deeply impressed by what I am seeing here today, because safety and the well-being of seafarers in the country including in the Gulf of Guinea is highly important to us, so Nigeria is the rightful partner for Norway and I am here to learn” she said.
The Executive Director Norwegian Shipowners Association, Audun Halvorsen said the Norwegian Shipowners see NIMASA as a key partner in Africa as it has over 1,700 members.
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