NIMASA Rolls Out Maritime Electronic Management System, Targets Waste Billing, Pollution Response, Vessel Tracking

—As NPCC Quarterly Meeting Canvasses Practical Solutions to Port Delays

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has announced that its Maritime Electronic Management System (MEMS) is now live, describing the platform as a practical expression of the agency’s commitment to digital reform in the maritime sector.

This was disclosed by the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola, at the quarterly meeting of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC) held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, on Thursday with the theme “Simplifying Cross Border Trade and Enhancing Ease of Doing Business at Our Ports.”

The Director-General was represented at the event by the Director of Shipping Development, Abdullahi Yelwa.

In his address, Mobereola said MEMS is designed to bring stronger digital traceability to maritime operations, improve visibility into vessel movements and operational records, and support more timely regulatory decisions.

“MEMS is a practical expression of the Agency’s commitment to digital reform. It is designed to bring stronger digital traceability to maritime operations, improve visibility into vessel movements and operational records, and support more timely regulatory decisions,” he said.

He explained that through centralised data, automated alerts and smart invoicing, the system would enable the agency to document maritime activities more accurately, reduce unnecessary manual processes and strengthen compliance.

“Through centralised data, automated alerts and smart invoicing, MEMS enables the Agency to document maritime activities more accurately, reduce unnecessary manual processes and strengthen compliance. It also improves the tracking of services such as waste reception by creating time-stamped records and clearer billing trails,” he stated.

He added that the system’s monitoring and alert functions would support earlier responses to marine pollution incidents and reinforce accountability for the protection of the marine environment.

The Director-General noted that for NIMASA, ease of doing business begins before a vessel arrives at the port, stressing that predictable pre-arrival requirements, timely certification, proportionate inspections and prompt resolution of regulatory issues all contribute to faster and safer vessel turnaround.

“Our responsibilities for maritime safety, security, environmental protection, shipping development and regulatory compliance remain essential. The task is to deliver them in a manner that is transparent, connected and time-bound,” he said.

He added that for industry operators, the real value of MEMS should be seen in clearer processes, fewer avoidable visits, better visibility and more predictable regulatory engagement, while for government, it should translate to stronger oversight, improved revenue assurance and better information for decision-making.

Mobereola stressed that MEMS would have to work as part of the wider trade ecosystem, noting that it strengthens NIMASA’s own regulatory and monitoring processes, while the National Single Window provides the broader inter-agency interface for trade.

He said NIMASA would continue to work with the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and other relevant institutions, within their respective mandates, to harmonise requirements, coordinate interventions and resolve operational bottlenecks promptly.

He further disclosed that the Federal Government has set the goal of reducing average cargo clearance time from twenty-one days to under seven days, though he cautioned that this goal would not be achieved by technology alone.

“It requires reliable systems, accurate data, clear service standards and disciplined cooperation among all agencies operating within the port and border environment. NIMASA is committed to playing its part within its statutory mandate,” he said.

In her opening remarks at the meeting, the Vice Chairman of NPCC, Mrs Jean Chiazor Anishere, said Nigeria’s ports are not merely gateways for the movement of cargo but critical instruments of national economic development.

She noted that the efficiency, predictability and cost-effectiveness of the ports directly affect the price of goods, the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses, the attractiveness of the economy to investors, and ultimately the success of the country’s international trade.

According to her, where processes are fragmented, duplicated or unnecessarily prolonged, the cost is ultimately borne by the trading public and the Nigerian economy.

“So the challenge before us all is therefore not simply to make our ports functional, but to make them seamless. To make our ports transparent, predictable and business-friendly,” she said.

Anishere urged stakeholders to continually ask themselves whether a trader can move cargo through Nigerian ports with fewer physical interfaces, fewer documents, fewer delays, and greater certainty about cost and time.

On inter-agency coordination, the NPCC Vice Chairman said the efficiency of the ports cannot be measured by the performance of one institution in isolation, and cannot be realised by the NPCC working in silos without the cooperation of stakeholders.

“Hence, it’s our policy that we have quarterly meetings with our stakeholders so that we can work together and come together with what is best for our industry. And we as your council will be able to bring our decisions to bear before the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy,” she said.

Anishere streesed that Nigerian ports must move towards a culture of self-excellence, accountability and measurable performance, adding that efficient dispute resolution mechanisms, particularly maritime and commercial arbitration, are essential to providing confidence to investors and participants in the international trading community.

“Without being patronizing, I strongly recommend the only one association that deals with maritime dispute resolution in our country. And that is the Maritime Arbitrators Association of Nigeria (MAAN),” she said.

Also speaking at the meeting, the Chairman of NPCC, Mr Bolaji Sunmola, lamented the challenges facing ease of doing business at Nigerian ports, noting that the aspiration for Nigerian ports to become a hub in West and Central Africa has now become a singsong.

“The traffic gridlock at the Lagos ports that we thought had gone is coming back again. We keep complaining that Nigeria has the potential to do this, to do that, but our border posts, our areas of enhancing all these trade investments has come to nothing, and that is why we have come up with this,” he said.

Sunmola explained that the NPCC exists to bring together stakeholders confronting real operational difficulties with various agencies.

“As Nigerian Ports Consultative Council, we are here to bring together people who have issues, who have problems, who have real difficult things approaching various agencies to see. We want each of the agencies to come here, feel free, talk, say what you’ve been doing, say what solutions you are offering to the millions of challenges we have,” he said.

The quarterly meeting also featured presentations from various agencies, who gave reports on port performance over the period under review, while taking feedback from members of the Council.