… SAYS IOPC FUND IMPLEMENTATION ON TRACK
Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency, Dr Bashir Jamoh has restated the Agency’s commitment to
ensuring effective pollution prevention and control in the Nigerian
Maritime domain in order to continue to create an enabling
environment for the sector to thrive.
Dr Jamoh who made this assertion while speaking at the 7th meeting
of the National Standing Committee on International Oil Pollution
Compensation (IOPC) Fund implementation in Nigeria emphasized
the Agency’s commitment to the effective implementation of the IOPC
Fund regime by ensuring optimal utilization of the instrument in the
country.
The DG who was represented by the Agency’s Director Marine
Environment Management Department, Mrs. Aishatu A. Jidda urged
all stakeholders to abide by the provisions of all enabling
international instruments as provided for by the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) adding that the Convention for Civil Liability for
Oil Pollution Damage 1992 and the International Convention on
Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil
Damage 1992 which Nigeria is signatory to remains relevant to the
growth and development of the Nigerian maritime sector.
“Nigeria has domesticated these Conventions and we are qualified to
reap the benefits therein. We at NIMASA have a register for
contributing oil receivers in Nigeria. We urge all stakeholders to play
their part to ensure reports emanating from Nigeria are in line with
acceptable standards”. “It is good we have a record as a contributing
oil receiver and because it is our obligation to ensure we give the
IOPC Fund, the names of all contributing oil receivers in Nigeria.
NIMASA is committed to ensuring Nigerians enjoy all the benefits
from being signatory to these International Conventions.” The DG
said.
Dr Jamoh reaffirmed the importance of the conventions to Nigeria’s
Marine Environment Management. He said the facilitation of
domestication by NIMASA led to the constitution of the National
Standing Committee (NSC) on IOPC Fund in September 2004 and
five other Sub-Committees in October 2016, with a mandate to
ensure seamless implementation of both conventions.
The five subcommittees include the Sub-Committee on Fish
Stock/Fisheries; Sub-Committee on Identification of Receivers of
Contributing Oil; Sub-Committee on Compilation of Oil Report; Sub-
Committee on Claims Handling and Sub-Committee on Pricing Index.
The objective of the meeting was to deliberate on the resolutions
reached at the 6th meeting including; the development of a roadmap
on the establishment of a Local Oil Pollution Compensation Fund by
local insurance companies; drawing up national guidelines on fish
stock/fisheries, as well as the collation of recent data on Contributing
Oil Receivers and Contributing Oil Products imported.
Other resolutions include drawing up National Guidelines on fish
stock/fisheries; collation of recent data on contributing oil receivers,
contributing oil products imported, and quantity of product and details
of coastal movement of Low Pour Fuel Oils (LPFO) and High Pour
Fuel Oils (HPFO) from the refineries and condensates as well as
distribution of COR-1 Forms and carrying out sensitization
programmes.
Osagie Edward
Assistant Director, Public Relations
NIMASA
edward.osagie@nimasa.gov.ng
May 24, 2022
Transportation (FMOT), Mrs. Olawumi Stella C.; Deputy Director, FMOT, Mrs. Julie Abbah; Director, Maritime Safety & Security, FMOT
Mr. Babatunde Bambata; Secretary, National Standing Committee for
the Implementation of the International Oil Pollution Compensation
(IOPC), Mrs. Aisha A Jidda; Deputy Director, Civil Liabilities &
Compensation, (IOPC) Mrs. Chinyere Azike and Deputy Director,
Ministry of Finance, Budget & National Planning, Mrs. Zainab
Pisagih, during the opening session of the 7th Meeting of the Sub-
Committees of the National Standing Committee (NSC) on the
Implementation of the IOPC Funds in Nigeria in Lagos.
