The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has alerted stakeholders in the sector about 13 vessels coming into Nigeria from five countries suffering seriously from COVID-19 pandemic.
The agency’s Director-General, Jamoh Bashir, who raised the alarm in a statement at the weekend, called on all agencies of government and private sector operators at the ports to get prepared ahead of the arrival of the vessels in order to ensure the vessels were handled with the highest level of professionalism.
The previous port of call of the coming vessels included the United States, Brazil, India, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Eight of them would berth in Apapa, Lagos; four in Bonny, Rivers State; and one in Port Harcourt, Rivers.
The NIMASA boss said it was necessary that stakeholders ensure the guidelines put in place to curtail the spread of coronavirus in Nigeria were strictly adhered to.
“We are counting on the continued cooperation of frontline government agencies and private sector operators in this regard as we jointly wage the war against the COVID-19 pandemic,” Bashir said.
He further urged operators at the ports to make sure that all safety measures and precautions were fully applied for the best interest of the maritime community.