Transport Minister Yusuf Suleiman says the Federal Government will provide adequate security in the nation’s territorial waters against piracy and armed robbery attacks on ships.
Suleiman said this in a key-note address delivered on Thursday in Lagos at the event to mark the World Maritime Day.
The minister said the most serious concern was the piracy attacks in waters off the coast of Somalia and Indian Ocean, saying that government was deeply concern about the problems.
The minister observed that the two crimes on the high seas were major problems confronting seafarers, saying that government would combat them through the introduction of policies and programmes.
Suleiman listed the programmes to include an integrated maritime security and surveillance centre and the long range identification and tracking system.
The minister said relevant maritime agencies under the Federal Ministry of Transport had also collaborated with the Nigerian Navy and Marine Police to stem the crimes in the nation’s territorial waters.
He said the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa had also set up a sub-regional Coast Guard Network with Nigeria as the Zonal Headquarters.
Suleiman said the Search and Rescue Centre in Lagos had assisted in providing search and rescue for the seafarers within the nation’s territorial waters.
According to him, all these are demonstrations of government’s resolve to curb the menace of armed robbery and other vices threatening maritime activities in Nigerian waters.
He said government intended to install a Vessel Traffic Management System in all the nation’s ports in compliance with the provisions of the International Ship and Port facility Security code.
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