Loveth Okoli
Dr Bashir Jamoh, Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration Safety Agency (NIMASA) says the agency’s modular floating dock is in the process of being deployed.
Jamoh disclosed this during a visit to Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman at the NPA Headquarters, Marina, Lagos.
“I am here to affirm that the modular floating dock has come to stay.
*We have concluded arrangements for its deployment and operation.
“The date for its commissioning will be announced soon,” he said in a statement on Wednesday on the visit.
Jamoh, in an interaction after the meeting with Bala-Usman, recounted the process of securing the NPA Continental Shipyard for the floating dock.
He also spoke on the process of getting approval from the Federal Ministry of Transportation as well as the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
The director- general emphasised that obtaining those approvals were important preliminary conditions.
He said this was because of the need to engage managing partners and ICRC in charge of the mode of operations and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
Jamoh said that the second aspect after the housing of the floating dock was the issue of operation.
He said that NIMASA had obtained the approval of the ICRC and had been directed to move to the Federal Executive Council.
“As far as we are concerned, the confirmation of certain aspects of the operations will be run concurrently.
“While we are seeking the Federal Executive Council approval, the issue of a managing partner will be considered and Expression of Interest will be published. So, we are good to go.
“When fully operational, the NIMASA floating dock, which arrived Nigeria in 2018, is expected to provide a lot of benefits to the maritime industry, ranging from conserving foreign exchange, to providing employment.
“Others are boosting indigenous capacity, developing shipping, and providing training exposure for students of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, and the Maritime University, Okerenkoko,” he said.
In her remarks, Bala-Usman stressed the need to promote the NIMASA local dry dock to the maximum capacity by placing the NPA’s Continental Shipyard at the agency’s disposal as a preferred location.
She said NPA would go into an agreement with NIMASA on the handover of the authority’s dockyard, jetty locations, and warehouses within the area to facilitate the installation of the modular floating dock.
“We believe the floating dock is an integral part of the maritime sector and we like to commend NIMASA for starting this.
“NPA will continue to provide the necessary support as it relates to the aspect of our shareholding within the SPV being guided by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
“As it is, NPA has confirmed and reiterated that it will support and hand over those facilities within the next few weeks to enable NIMASA to conclude the movement of the modular floating dock from the Naval Dockyard to the Continental dockyard.
“This is a very welcome development for the sector and we look forward to patronising and using the dockyard facility for our vessels and other vessels of government agencies,” she said.
