Maritime Expert Expresses Worry Over Sea Piracy

A maritime Expert in
Port Harcourt, Prince Ben Chibundu Obi, has expressed worry over the increasing activities of sea pirates and robbers on the nation’s waterway.
Obi, who barred  his mind in an interview with The Tide correspondent in his office on Monday, said most of the attacks were aimed at fishing trawlers, cargo vessels, oil tankers and service boats as well as passenger speed boats.
He noted with dismay that during such operations, lives and properties of innocent citizens of this country were lost, while businesses were truncated due to possible attack on traders and their goods.
The maritime expert said the activities of the pirates are negatively affecting the economy of the nation, and that if not checked, would have effect on imported goods as well as inflow of foreign investment in the nation’s maritime sector.
According to him, although, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), a body that is statutorily charged with the responsibility to check and prevent sea piracy and robbery is doing its best, but its best is not enough to curtail the menace of those hoodlums.
Obi, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Chiobi Marine Nig Ltd, noted that for NIMASA to effectively secure the country’s maritime coastline of about 440 nautical miles, they must fortify their joint patrol team of the Navy, Army and the Airforce and equip them with necessary facilities that could detect when and where the pirates want to operate and quickly swing into action, as well as provide well trained security operatives to acquire technical and managerial competence in maritime security.
He also suggested that NIMASA should acquire patrol boats that could be effectively useful in patrolling shallow waters, creeks and canals to fish out the criminals, adding that the Nigerian Marine Police should also be equipped to complement the effort of the NIMASA  joint taskforce to effectively police the territorial waters of the country.
The marine expert, however, pleaded that a proper legal framework should be worked out to ensure that culprits are made to face the law squarely, stressing that government should intensify its security apparatus on the nation’s territorial waters.