{"id":8683,"date":"2013-08-20T09:39:53","date_gmt":"2013-08-20T09:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigerian-newspapers\/isps-us-begins-inspection-of-nigerias-seaports-this-week\/"},"modified":"2013-08-20T09:39:53","modified_gmt":"2013-08-20T09:39:53","slug":"isps-us-begins-inspection-of-nigerias-seaports-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/isps-us-begins-inspection-of-nigerias-seaports-this-week\/","title":{"rendered":"ISPS: US begins inspection of Nigeria\u2019s seaports this week"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Barring any last minute change of mind, the United States Coast Guard is expected to arrive in Nigeria this week to commence inspection of the country\u2019s seaport facilities to ascertain whether they meet the requirements of the International Ships and Ports Facility Security, ISPS, Code 2004.<\/p>\n

The code is a convention of the International Maritime Organisation, IMO, prompted by the US Government to forestall a repeat of the September 9, 2001 terrorist bombing of the World Trade Centre, Washington DC in which scores of people died.<\/p>\n

The US Embassy in Nigeria had sent a diplomatic note to the Federal Government sometime in June through the Foreign Affairs Ministry to improve its ports security system within 90 days or face international sanctions under which her seaports will be isolated. This ultimatum follows a visit of the US Coast Guard to the country\u2019s seaports and other facilities after which it wrote a damning report on alleged poor security system at the ports.<\/p>\n

Under the blockade, the US will stop shipping services to Nigeria and also mobilise all her trading partners to do same as part of measures to compel the country to comply with the enforcement of the ISPS Code.<\/p>\n

A competent security source hinted that members of the Coast Guard are expected to arrive Lagos on Thursday, while the actual inspection of the port facilities will kick off on Saturday.<\/p>\n

It was however not clear at the time of filing this report, where the inspection would commence, but the source disclosed that the government has given marching orders to all truck owners to evacuate all the ports\u2019 access roads. He noted that the decision of the government to insist that the trucks must be removed was because the Coast Guard team, during their first visit complained about the chaotic nature of port access gates in the country, which might constitute a security risk.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, President of Association of Maritime Truck Owners, AMATO, Chief Remi Ogungbemi, who confirmed the directive, also hinted that the association will comply to forestall government\u2019s hammer falling on erring members.<\/p>\n

According to him, the association is concluding plans to commence evacuation of members\u2019 trucks from tomorrow. \u201cThere is a marching order that all trucks must be evacuated from the roads and members of the association have accordingly been directed to remove their trucks from the port gates whether Apapa or Tin Can Island and send them to the Trade Fair Complex lorry terminal for now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not want a situation where government will come with their taskforces to impound members\u2019 trucks, arrest them and impose huge fines as has been the case in the past,\u201d he said. Maritime experts have been speaking on the ultimatum, with most of them insisting that the government should do everything humanly possible to ensure that the sanctions were avoided. Nigeria\u2019s former Alternate Representative to the IMO, Mr. Olu Akinsoji in an interview, urged the Federal Government do everything within its powers to ensure that the country meet the 90-day ultimatum.<\/p>\n

Akinsoji, who is also a council member of the Association of Nigerian Marine Engineers and Surveyors AMES, had observed that US accounts for over 30 percent of the country\u2019s crude oil export and as such any economic blockade by the world\u2019s most powerful country will negatively affect the economy on a large scale. According to him, apart from buying Nigeria\u2019s crude oil, which proceeds have remained the mainstay of her economy, the US also accounts for a large chunk of non-oil exports, even as she in turn imports goods from US firms.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the nature of the sanctions, no US registered vessel will come to any Nigerian seaports as well as those other vessels that call at the US seaports. Apart from this, the US Government will also tell all the country\u2019s allies not to trade with Nigeria\u201d, he had warned.<\/p>\n

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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. <\/a>A DisNaija.Com<\/a> network.<\/p>\n

Source: National Mirror Newspaper<\/p>\n

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