SWAIMS, NPA to collaborate on maritime secuity, safety

Chidi Ogbuokiri

Maritime security experts under the aegis of the ‘’Support for West African Maritime Security’’ (SWAIMS), has pledged to work hand in hand with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to address maritime security and safety challenge within the country’s waters.

The group, affiliated to the European Union, provides support to ECOWAS Countries and Mauritania in the drive to fight against piracy and related crimes in the sub-region offered its technical assistance on the anti-piracy and nautical security services, among others.

The SWAIMS team on a working visit to the Authority’s head office in Marina Lagos, identified electronic management control, deepening of International Ships and Ports Facility Security ISPS Code compliance and sustenance, security surveillance and deterrence as critical areas of concern. The group said it will also provide capacity building on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as well as radar surveillance on cyber security.

SWAIMS acting team leader, Dr. Alex Klein and colleagues were received by the Executive Director Marine and Operations, Hon. Onari Brown, who represented the Acting Managing Director, Mohammed Bello Koko, affirmed that it is expedient to intimate policy makers of the cost of insecurity in order to take the drive to the next level, stressing that insecurity encourages inflation, high operting costs and impacts negatively on standard of living.

The Acting MD in his remarks stated that issues of maritime insecurity had heightened thus the need to tackle it frontally. He urged the SWAIMS team to diligently concentrate on the theme of their operation which he said the Authority identifies with . The acting Managing Director added that information sharing is key to tackling maritime and cyber insecurity in the industry and beyond.