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NIMASA commences process to end gas emission on vessels

  Agency chosen
for pilot project in West/Central Africa
 

Dr. Oma Ofodile (Assistant Director NIMASA MEM) presents the tablet
to  Captain Jai Varunayaa of the MT KINGIS and a crew member. While Mr.
Musa Ibn-Saidu of Sea Transport Group Ltd (Owners of the vessel) witnesses.

The Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on May 10 had a landmark inaugural
installation ceremony of the Thorium-X tablet, a fuel consumption data
collection device, on board a Nigerian-flagged fuel tanker vessel, MT KINGIS,
commencing the process targeted at ending green-house gas emissions on
vessels. 

The pilot project, which
came as fallout of the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (MTCC) conference
held in Kenya in March, aims at reducing fuel consumption by vessels.  The
MTCC is targeted towards developing countries, and Nigeria was made a priority
and nominated for the pilot project.
The Director-General of
NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside, speaking at the installation ceremony, reiterated
the Agency’s commitment to global best practices in the execution of its
mandate of regulating the maritime industry. 
Dakuku, who was represented
by the Head of the Marine Environment Management (MEM) Unit at NIMASA, Dr
(Mrs.) Felicia Mogo, stated, “NIMASA is ensuring that we are keeping to global
best practices with a commendable track record in administration and regulation
in the maritime sector.
“NIMASA was chosen to lead
the project in Nigeria, being the chosen country in the West and Central Africa
region.  This pilot project will last a year. But the data will be
reported to the Kenyan portal, then it goes to the IMO global portal after
every voyage.  



“Reports will be collated and sent after a three-month
period. The findings and analysis are then recorded and reported at the end of
the year to inform the country the amount of fuel being consumed annually on
each voyage and how much GHG is being emitted.”
The launch of the fuel
consumption data collection device is in line with the decision of the
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to reduce fuel consumption by vessels
as well as Green House Gases (GHG) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission on
voyages.  



NIMASA was nominated to operate the project in Nigeria, which
has become a focal point and so nominated as a country of interest in Africa
for the pilot project. 
Representing Sea Transport
Limited, owners of MT KINGIS, Musa Ado Ibn-Saidu expressed delight in being a
part of the landmark installation initiative. 



Ibn-Saidu said the crew of
the vessel were keen to use the tablet. He thanked the NIMASA MEM team for the
requisite training provided the crew members on the operation and usage of the
installed Thorium-X tablet, stating that they are appreciative of the efforts
the Agency is making to reduce GHG emissions and save the climate.
The NIMASA-nominated vessel
for the programme is indigenously owned by an award winning company, Sea
Transport Services Nigeria Limited.  

Nigeria was chosen for the launch of
the pilot scheme for the West and Central Africa sub-regions.   
The tablet is equipped with
inbuilt internet capability for ease of communication of data, and also a
dedicated software to calculate Energy Efficiency Operation Index (EEOI) of
voyaging vessels. 



The information that results from the findings will facilitate
decisions in maritime policy formation as it relates to GHG emissions from
ships and its effect on climate and environment.   
The Marine Environment
Management unit of NIMASA has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure an
environmentally safer and cleaner maritime domain. 
It would be recalled that about a month ago, the Agency announced its
collaboration with the National Oil spill Detection and Response Agency
(NOSDRA) by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on marine oil spill
incident management, which is also in line with IMO requirements. 



These
initiatives collectively stand to give Nigeria added global recognition on
issues of marine environment management and climate change.

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