The Nigerian Maritime Administration Safety Agency (NIMASA), says the Agency’s modular floating dock will soon be deployed.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh gave the assurance during his visit to the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Hadiza Bala-Usman at the NPA headquarters in 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 would be announced soon.” Jamoh said.
The NIMASA DG narrated the process of securing the NPA Continental Shipyard for the floating dock, and getting approval from the Federal Ministry of Transportation as well as the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) noting that obtaining the approvals were important preliminary conditions necessary to engage managing partners and ICRC in charge of the mode of operations and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
In her remarks, Bala-Usman highlighted the need to promote the NIMASA local dry dock by placing the NPA’s Continental Shipyard at the Agency’s disposal as a preferred location adding that NPA is ready to enter 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.
Director-General, NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh (right), and Managing Director, NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman, at the NPA Headquarters in Marina, Lagos.
“We believe the floating dock is an integral part of the maritime sector and we like to commend NIMASA for starting this and NPA will continue to provide the necessary support as it relates to the aspect of our shareholding within the SPV being guided by the ICRC,” the NPA boss said.
When fully operational, the NIMASA floating dock, which arrived Nigeria in 2018, is expected to boost the maritime industry and help conserve foreign exchange, provide employment, enhance indigenous capacity, and provide training exposure for students of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, and the Maritime University, Okerenkoko.
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