NIMASA: Providing leadership in difficult times
On
By Edward Osagie
Just as Life’s roughest storms prove the strength of our anchors, so it is with the Nigerian maritime sector as the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic proved to test the character of its managers.
When President Muhammadu Buhari appointed the new leadership at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA in March 2020, the Dr Bashir Jamoh led team had barely taken over the mantle of leadership when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. And the lockdown started.
In fact, the new leadership at NIMASA was less than two weeks in office when the Presidential task force declared a total lockdown in Nigeria. Thanks to the fact that President Buhari had appointed a technocrat in the person of Dr Jamoh with about three decades of experience to steer the affairs at NIMASA. This perhaps explains why the NIMASA Management was able to hit the ground running with
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Autonomous technology is advancing in every sector, and the
maritime industry is among those at the forefront.
Much of the focus in shipping has been on using autonomous
technology on commercial vessels and perfecting remote navigational
systems for ocean carriage. There have, however, been several
recent advancements in further automating the industry as a whole.
These advancements include automated container operations,
autonomous technology for inland routes and the creation of
standard contracts for autonomous vessels. In this edition of The
Sensor, we review the potential of these latest developments and
New Development
The Baltic and International Maritime Council’s (“BIMCO”) Documentary Committee adopted several new clauses and contracts at its recent meeting held on January 25, 2021. Included were: (1) a new charter sanctions clause, (2) a clause promoting transparency and dialogue between owners and charterers, and (3) tug, barge, and floating hotel contracts. Given the prevalence of U.S. sanctions against myriad governmental and private-party actors worldwide, the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the construction advent of new offshore wind farm structures, each of these clauses and contracts warrant consideration by maritime law practitioners and commercial operators alike.
Sanctions Clause for Container Vessel Time Charter Parties 2021
Piracy Surge Off West Africa Draws Maersk Call for Action By William Clowes | January 21, 2021
The world’s biggest shipping company demanded a more effective military response to surging pirate attacks and record kidnappings off the coast of West Africa.
The number of attacks on vessels globally jumped 20% last year to 195, with 135 crew kidnapped, the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre said in a Jan. 13 report. The Gulf of Guinea accounted for 95% of hostages taken in 22 separate instances, and all three of the hijackings that occurred, the agency said.
The attacks have pushed up insurance and other costs for shippers operating off West Africa, with some resorting to hiring escort vessels manned by armed navy personnel. A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, which transports about 15% of the globe’s seaborne freight, said decisive action needs to be taken.