Harnessing Deep Blue Project in Gulf of Guinea piracy reduction
By Seun Ibiyemi
Before now, Nigeria’s waters were described as the most dangerous in the world but the strict implementation of deep blue project and other anti-piracy programmes by the Dr Bashir Jamoh-led management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has led to decline in piracy in the last three years.
Since the appointment of Dr Bashir Jamoh as the Director General of the Nigerian Marítime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the country has been recording downward occurrences of pirate activities in its coastal water and the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).
The reduction, according to stakeholders, were results of strict implementation of the deep blue project, the strict enforcement of Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act to successfully prosecute criminals and pirates.
Under Jamoh’s watch, Nigeria water was removed from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB’s) red list of Piracy prone countries in March 2022. The statistics on piracy and kidnapping in Nigerian waters before the removal were alarming and scary.
However, since 2020 when Jamoh was appointed, pirate activities started declining. For instance, from 82 cases of piracy in Nigerian waters in 2018 to 61 in 2019. In 2020, it went up to 81 before it came down to 34 in 2021, and now to nil in 2022 and the first quarter of 2023.
According to maritime stakeholders, the piracy reduction successes were based on his vision of triple –S agenda of Maritime Safety, Maritime Security and Shipping Development, propagated at the beginning of the Dr Jamoh’s administration.
The vision was in practical terms the navigable path to achieving the Agency’s mandate of suppressing Piracy and other related maritime crimes offences as enshrined in the NIMASA Act, the Merchant Shipping Act, the Cabotage Act.
Speaking on the activities of the NIMASA’s helmsman in reducing piracy and other maritime crimes in the last three years, the head of Public Relations, NIMASA, Edward Osagie, said Dr Jamoh restored confidence in the maritime industry by suppressing piracy in the nation’s territorial water and Gulf of Guinea (GoG).
According to him, the strict implementation of the Deep Blue Project, has led to delisting of Nigeria from countries regarded as piracy prone regions.
For instance, in 2023, the International Bargaining Forum (IBF), removed Nigeria from the list of countries designated as risk maritime nations, saying it’s a confirmation of the improved global ratings of Security in Nigerian maritime domain as a result of sustained collaborative efforts of NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy, and international stakeholders.
Other measures in the last three years are:
Full Deployment of Deep Blue Project
In terms of Security in the maritime domain, one can readily point to the successful launch of the Deep Blue Project by President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2021, the use of the SPOMO Act to successfully prosecute criminals and pirates, the steady removal of Nigeria from the IMB Red List of Piracy prone countries in March 2022 amongst others.
When Jamoh and his team assumed office in 2020, the Integrated National Maritime Surveillance and Security Infrastructure project, otherwise known as the Deep Blue Project, was still at infancy. There were challenges deterring the Assets from arriving for use.
Today, NIMASA has taken delivery of all assets under the project. Two special mission vessels, three special mission helicopters, 17 Armoured vehicles, two special mission aircrafts, 17 interceptor boats, four unmanned Aerial vehicles are now in country and fully deployed.
NIMASA under the watch of the current management created the maritime Intelligence Unit in 2020. This unit has played an active role in intelligence gathering and information sharing leading to major success in fighting crimes.
Anti-piracy War leading to delisting of Nigeria as War Risk Country
NIMASA midwifed a forum for the Agency to constantly engage international stakeholders such a s BIMCO, INTERTANKO, INTERCARGO, OCIMF, ICS, and international oil companies under the auspices of the industry maritime security work group NIWG which latter transformed into the SHADE Gulf of Guinea, some persons may have underrated the potentials of such international collaboration.
The results are the improved international collaboration coupled with the enhanced partnership with the Nigerian Navy, security in Nigerian waters and by extension the Gulf of Guinea has greatly improved. It’s on record that since the last quarter of 2021 the issue of piracy has become a thing of the past in Nigeria waters.
The statistics on piracy and kidnapping in Nigerian waters speaks for itself. From 82 cases of piracy in Nigerian waters in 2018, 61 in 2019, 81 in 2020, down to 34 in 2021, and now to nil in 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. It’s obvious the team managing maritime security in Nigerian waters are doing something right and heading in the right direction. This has gone a long way to restore international confidence in the Nigerian maritime industry.
First, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), in March 2022 delisted Nigeria from the countries regarded as piracy prone regions. Also, in 2023, as a confirmation of the improved global ratings of Security in Nigerian maritime domain due to collaborative efforts of NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy, and international stakeholders, the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) removed Nigeria from the list of countries designated as risk maritime nations.
Visit of IMO Secretary-General to Nigeria
After this endorsement came the visit of the IMO secretary general, Kitack Lim to Nigeria. This visit was the first in over a decade and a half that the world number one maritime citizen will step foot on Nigerian soil. For three days running the global maritime attention was on Nigeria. Commended NIMASA under the Jamoh leadership for effectively collaborating with the Nigerian Navy to rid Nigerian waters of piracy and other maritime crimes to barest level.
Acquisition of Vessels for Search and Rescue, Cabotage Enforcement
It’s obvious that the Agency needs various types of vessels to be effective. Having inherited a regime of hiring vessels from the private sector at a daily cost to function, NIMASA within the past three years has refurbished seven vessels mainly for Pollution Control and Prevention, Search and Rescue and Cabotage enforcement services. While the refurbishing of the vessels was done in conjunction with the Nigerian Navy at the Naval Dockyard in Lagos, NIMASA has gone further to acquire new vessels to enhance its services.
Removal of Wrecks from Waterways
In terms of safety of navigation in Nigerian territorial waters, the current management at NIMASA embarked on a project never done before. Wreck removal. As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins in a day. Jamoh has shown the way that wreck removal is actually a possibility with the first phase of removals going on course.
This was done in conjunction with the Hydrographic Department of the Nigerian Navy in identifying the wrecks. Jamoh and his team also developed an environmental sensitivity index map of the Nigerian Coastline. This charting makes it easy to identify and tackle environmental issues in the maritime sector.
Approval for the disbursement of CVFF
Shipping development also witnessed major milestone achievement by the Jamoh-led administration. The disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund has been a challenge previous administrations found very challenging to implement due to its complex nature with over. It is noteworthy that NIMASA under the supervisions of the Federal Ministry of Transportation is at the verge of disbursing the funds. Presidential approvals have been received, Primary lending Institutions have been appointed and terms of accessing the funds have now been finalised for disbursement to commence next month.
Seatime For NSDP Cadets
The Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), is another inherited project that has been improved upon the current leadership at NIMASA. Over 2,000 young Nigerians have benefited from this project to develop Marine Engineering, Nautical Science and Naval Architecture, of which many are now gainfully employed and sailing on both coastal and international vessels.
The challenge with the inherited project was sea time. Within three years, all beneficiaries in the first and second phase have all undergone sea time and the new beneficiaries under phase two actually have sea time embedded in their own package. Under the new improved NSDP package, NIMASA has sponsored over 400 young Nigerians to seek career at sea as seafarers while noting the fact that over 800 out of the 2,000 who commenced the first phase are now gainfully employed by multinationals and some onboard vessels.
It has, however, been projected that within a decade from now the next crop of seafarers from West Africa will be predominantly Nigerians.
Constant Payment of 5% to NIMASA
The Maritime Academy of Nigeria in Akwa Ibom have also benefitted immensely from the current leadership at NIMASA. With the Agency investing without fail five per cent of its revenue annually in the institution, MAN Oron can now boast of state-of-the-art equipment including simulators to train cadets and extend same to other institutions in Nigeria.
In concluding, at this stage and with the clear achievements under Dr Bashir Jamoh, it’s clear that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA is in safe hands, headed in the right direction, and it behoves on us all to trust the process as achieving the Seafarers Identity Document (SID), deployment of the Modular floating Dock, stemming of capital flight, Capacity retention, the National fleet issue, and the imminent removal of Nigeria from the list of countries paying war risk Insurance premium are in focus for the next twelve months under the watch of Jamoh and his management team.
