By Onu Okorie

Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to developing indigenous capacity in Nigeria’s maritime sector under the Cabotage regime.
Mobereola stated this during a tour of Marine Platforms Limited’s African Pioneer Lagos, an 8,000-metric-tonne offshore Diving Support Vessel (DSV) operating under the Nigerian flag.
The African Pioneer Lagos, with IMO Number 9808613, is a Nigerian-flagged vessel measuring approximately 143 metres in length. It is equipped to undertake specialised deep-water subsea construction, diving, inspection and offshore oil and gas operations.
Expressing satisfaction with the vessel’s capabilities after the tour, the NIMASA helmsman said Nigerian-flagged vessels with such capacity should enjoy priority over foreign vessels operating in the country’s maritime space.
“I’m quite happy at what I have seen today after the tour of this 8,000 metric tonnes African Pioneer Specialised Vessel. A vessel such as this flying the Nigerian flag should have priority over any foreign vessel,” Mobereola said.
He disclosed that NIMASA was automating the Nigerian Ship Registry to make it more attractive to shipowners and encourage more vessels of international standard to fly the Nigerian flag.
“We are automating the Nigerian Ship Registry to make it more attractive and to ensure that more vessels like this fly the Nigerian flag,” he added.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Marine Platforms Limited, Mr. Taofeek Adegbite, said the company had benefited significantly from the Cabotage regime and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board Act.
Adegbite said Marine Platforms was proud of having its vessels registered under the Nigerian flag, adding that the policy framework had contributed substantially to the company’s ability to secure regular contracts in Nigerian waters.
“Since 2012, when we got our very first vessel, MT African Vision, we are happy and proud to say NIMASA’s Cabotage Regime and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board Act has played a major role in ensuring that our vessels have contracts on a regular basis,” he said.
He said the company had no regrets flying the Nigerian flag and encouraged other shipowners to register their vessels with the Nigerian Ship Registry.
“We have no regret flying the Nigerian flag and I will invite more shipowners to register their flags in the Nigerian Ship Registry,” Adegbite said.
However, he called for a classification system that would give special attention to crew operating large and specialised vessels, noting that such a measure would encourage more owners of very large vessels to register them in Nigeria.