Lagos – The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside has said that Search and Rescue (SAR) operation is a collective responsibility in the West and Central Africa Region and the entire global maritime scene.
A statement by the Head of Public Relations, Hajia Lami Tumaka, on Wednesday in Lagos, noted that Peterside, stated this in Lagos at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Technical Session of the Regional Maritime Rescue and Co-ordination Centre (RMRCC), comprising of the West and Central Africa Sub-Region.
The director-general, who was represented by the Head, Maritime Safety and Seafarers Standards Department of the Agency, Mr Femowei Abel, said NIMASA was committed to SAR operations in the region.
He called on other member states to support the quest for safety and security in the Sub-Region.
“Shipping is a global business and it is one of the activities that knit all economies in the world together.
“So the need for safety of lives and security at sea as highlighted by the International Maritime Organisation(IMO) in its convention cannot be overstated, ” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes the director-general as saying.
Earlier in his address, the Chief Executive Officer of the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF), Mr Bruce Reid, said that over 400,000 lives were lost yearly to marine incidences globally.
He said that collaboration between maritime nations was very necessary in order to mitigate the scourge.
Reid, whose organisation is an independent body with consultative status with the IMO also commended Nigeria for her coordinating role in SAR operations in the West and Central Africa Sub-Region.
He pledged the readiness of the IMO to work with the region in areas of challenges being faced.
NAN reports that Nigeria hosts the Regional Maritime Rescue and Co-ordination Centre (RMRCC) for West and Central Africa, which is saddled with the responsibility of coordinating Search and Rescue operations in the region. (NAN)
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