US Coast Guard to carry out assessment audit of Nigeria’s seaports in 2017

The United State Coast Guard has scheduled to carry out audit assessment of the Nigerian seaports and facilities in February 2017. BusinessDay has learnt that the expected audit will enable the Coast Guard to grade Nigeria’s seaport terminals and facilities.

The audit, which will centers on Nigeria’s compliance level to the stipulations of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO’s) International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, is expected to ascertain the eligibility of ships calling Nigerian seaports, to be allowed into the US seaports in regards to issues of safety and security. 

The Coast Guard, which is an arm of the United States army, is saddled with the responsibility of safeguarding the US maritime interests in the heartland, ports, sea, and around the globe. It enforces the international maritime laws that borders on maritime security with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters.

Hadiza Bala Usman, the managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), who confirmed the Coast Guard intended audit of Nigerian ports in February, disclosed that the USCG visited the authority on Wednesday last week to facilitate the proposed audit.

The NPA boss, who assured the port industry that the authority is on top of the situation to ensure 100 percent compliance, added that her management has communicated to terminal operators, who are very much compliant to the provisions of the ISPS Code.       

“NPA is very much aware of its obligations as regards the ISPS Code and we have been leading in compliance to the provisions of the Code. We had a meeting with US Coast Guard, who has come to look at our facilities to see Nigeria’s level of compliance to the ISPS Code. Our general manager Security is currently working with the team to enable them assess the security level that we have in our ports,” she added.

Dakuku Peterside, the director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), identified the support of USCG and cooperation of Nigerian stakeholders as reasons behind the successful implementation of the ISPS Code.

Receiving a delegation of the USCG led on a pre-assessment visit of port and terminal facilities in Nigeria led by Edward Munoz, Peterside said the effective implementation of the ISPS code is for the good of the global shipping industry. He also noted that NIMASA as the Designated Authority for the implementation of the code in Nigeria is committed to safe and secure shipping.

Edward Munoz disclosed that the pre-assessment visit will enable the USCG to highlight areas requiring improvement and to notify Nigeria of timelines for the scheduled assessment audit expected to hold in February 2017.