Managing Nigeria’s marine environment
Sir: The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) considers marine environment management as one of the major aspects of maritime that will engender sustainable shipping. In order to ensure that a proactive stance is taken to protect and safeguard the interests of the marine environment and the ecosystem, the IMO established the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) to deal with issues regarding the environment and proffer solutions that will be adopted by member states to ensure environmental friendly shipping.
And in 2008, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in her bid to ensure a cleaner and safer marine environment created a specialized Marine Environment Management Department to perform the functions of MEPC in Nigeria. This department was charged with the responsibility of ensuring the protection of the marine environment in line with the global best practices. However over the years, there has been lack of political will, clear cut strategies and a strong missing link which is the buy-in of the past Headship of the Agency on issues relating to protection of the environment. This was two years before President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Dakuku Peterside as NIMASA DG.
The IMO estimates carbon dioxide emissions from shipping were equal to 2.7% of the global human made emissions in 2007 and expects them to rise by as much as two to three times by 2050 if no action is taken. In a bid to curtail these dangerous emissions, NIMASA commenced the registration of Local Fuel Oil Suppliers in line with the regulations of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution by Ships (MARPOL) Convention and IMO Resolution MEPC. 182 (59). This will ensure that ships running on adulterated bunker fuels that have high sulphur emission prospects would not be allowed to visit our ports as well as set emission limits for vessels calling at our ports. Also, the phasing out of single hull tankers has opened a new window for ship scrappers and the business of ship recycling is on the rise. However, NIMASA has brought a strict supervision regime that ensures that scrapping and recycling of ships are done in line with the global best practices. Ship wrecks on our water ways are now becoming a thing of the past as there is a committee in place that is vigorously monitoring the removal of towable wrecks.
Implementing the IMO Marine Environment Instruments have now become easier under Dakuku’s watch and more attention is being given to various Marine Environment Conventions such as International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from ships (MARPOL), The International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC), 1990, The Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation to Pollution Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious Substances, (OPRC-HNS) 2000 to mention but a few. NIMASA also has in place a Climate Change Observatory Station at the NMRDC Kiri-Kiri and it is also planning to set up same in various institutions that would aid the analysis of the weather in the sector.
No doubt, Nigerian waters are getting bluer and to reap the reward of the Blue Economy which NIMASA promises Nigeria. All hands must be on deck to ensure the sea gets safer, more secure, and cleaner and of course bluer.
- Ganiyu Alayaki,
NIMASA, Lagos.