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Friday, May 3, 2013

Nigeria: NIMASA Sensitises Stakeholders On Marine Environment Protection - Allafrica.com

Posted - May 3, 2013 - This Day - Allafrica.com

In line with its mandate as enshrined in the NIMASA Act 2007, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has begun the sensitisation of all stakeholders in the maritime sector of the economy on the protection of the marine environment.
It was a bid to extend the campaign that the agency, which is the eye of the global maritime watchdog, International Maritime Organisation (IMO), held a one-day sensitisation programme with shipping companies and stakeholders operating in the Nigerian waters on the contents of the official gazette of the Federal Government.
The gazette, among other issues germane to the shipping sector of the economy, dwells on the protection of the nation's marine environment.
Director of General, NIMASA, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, at the event which took place in Lagos told participants that the interactive session became necessary in the quest by the agency to facilitate effective implementation of marine protection regulations in the interest of all stakeholders.
The NIMASA helmsman, who was represented by the agency's Executive Director, Maritime Safety and Shipping Development, Captain Ezekiel Agaba, said: "There is the need for us to enhance sustainable development of the nation's maritime environment management system by putting in place a self-funding mechanism that preserves and protects it against degradation and the destruction of the ecosystem with attendant economic implications from oil pollution".
THISDAY had reported that the federal government ratified the Marine Pollution Convention (MARPOL), which is the major instrument of IMO on the prevention of pollution of the marine environment.
The convention was domesticated by Nigeria when the National Assembly, through its Senate and House Committees on Marine Transport, passed into law in June 2012 through the gazette of the Marine Environment Management Regulations among which was the Sea Protection Levy (SPL) and Merchant Shipping Regulations.
According to him, IMO, in response to indiscriminate discharge of ship-generated wastes into the marine environment, adopted the International Convention of the Prevention of pollution from ships (MARPOL) Convention.
The convention covers six annexes and has regulations stipulating various methods by which member states, ship owners, operators and maritime stakeholders should implement its provisions in order to prevent and control marine incidents/pollution emanating from ships and offshore installations.
Akpobolokemi said oil pollution of the sea was recognised as a major problem and various countries have introduced national regulations to control discharges of oil within their territorial waters.
"Nigeria as a signatory to the convention decided to also gazette the regulation on Marine Environment Management otherwise known as Sea Protection Levy and the Merchant Shipping (Ship-generated Marine Waste Reception Facilities) last year", he said.
Head of Marine Environment Management Department, NIMASA, Mrs. Julian Abiodun Gunwa, in her presentation, said minimal and haphazard monitoring of polluters within the nation's territorial waters, if continued unchecked, will adversely affect socio-economic conditions of the Nigerian populace.
Gunwa explained that in order to facilitate a better monitoring of the nation's waters of polluters, NIMASA has engaged the services of a private firm in a public private partnership (PPP) arrangement.
According to her, the agency has started the implementation of the regulations particularly the sea protection levy and intends to take off the offshore waste reception facilities soon.
Continuing, she said: For a vessel to fall in the category of paying for the SPL, it has to be of 100GT and above, more than 24 meters in length and have on board not less than 10 tonnes of oil. For Nigerian flagged vessels, who are expected to pay in naira, payment is as follows: Those from 100-1000 metric tonnes (MT) will pay N500 per gross tonnage (GT), those from 1001-10000GT will pay 350 GT. Those with 10001-100,000MT will pay N300 per GT and those from 100,000 and above MT will pay 250 per GT.
"For the foreign flagged vessels, that are expected to pay in dollars, the payment schedule is as follows: Those from 100-1000 metric tonnes (MT) will pay $0.1 per GT, those from 1001-10000MT will pay $0.15, per GT, those from 10001-100,000MT will pay $0.2per GT and those from 100,000MT and above will pay $0.3 per GT".
Gunwa warned all operators to comply with the payment of the levy as she explained that any default of payment may lead to the ship being detained by the agency at any port or jetty until the levy is paid.

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