NIMASA Set to Start Issuing Nigerian Seafarers Unlimited CoC by Q1 2023—-Bashir Jamoh
By DAPO OLAWUNI
Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr Bashir Jamoh has assured that the agency would start issuing unlimited class of Certificate of Competency (CoC) to Nigerian seafarers by first quarter of 2023.
He stated this on Thursday at a meeting with shipowners in Lagos.
According to him, the agency is currently reviewing the academic curriculum of seafarers which would now pave way for the unlimited CoC.
The NIMASA DG however said that any country that rejects Nigerian CoC after the upgrade, the agency would equally reciprocate by rejecting such a country.
“Currently, we are awarding limited COC, but we are upgrading it to unlimited. Why we are doing it like that is for us to open up our door for the international community to come in and partner with us.
We are now reviewing our own curriculum for the international community to see and recognize us.
“As soon as we get the approval and nod from IMO, we would start issuing the unlimited. We are giving ourselves a timeline of between now and the first quarter of 2023.
Once we have started issuing it, any country that rejects our own COC, we would also reciprocate”
Dr Jamoh explained further that the current war risk surcharge slammed on Nigeria by the international community, Lloyd’s of London, would soon be removed.
Speaking, he said “We started a campaign against the war risk insurance last year when we experienced a drop in Piracy around September 2021.
“When we started the campaign, they told us the issue of piracy is seasonal and it is during dry season because of the calmness of the water, and during the raining season, it drops.
They told us, let us see this record being sustained for some time before we do something.
“Early this year January I contacted them and some fractions of the war risk surcharge was reduced. Interesting we have not recorded any single attack today.
“The third quarter review is coming in September, they want us to prepare a review and what we intend to put in place in short term and long term to sustain the record and then the surcharge would be removed.
“They reminded us that for twenty five years we have been on the list, so five months is not enough for us to say we want to remove it” he said
