Oil
Crude oil theft, pirate: NIMASA launches satellite surveillance centre
By Kunle KALEJAYE
LAGOS – For effective monitoring of vessels in Nigeria’s maritime domain and to curb the activities of crude oil theft and sea pirate, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA has launched a Satellite Surveillance Centre.
The Surveillance centre was also required in order to effectively cover countries under the Regional Maritime Search and Rescue Centre of eight countries.
Sweetcrude Reports gathered that NIMASA met with relevant Federal Government authorities and approval was given to put in place a robust Maritime Domain Awareness which led to the birth of the Surveillance centre.
It also gathered that NIMASA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU with the Nigeria Navy and the Nigeria Air Force to enhance water patrol and aerial surveillance in the country’s maritime domain.
With the launch of the centre, Director General of NIMASA, Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi said the agency desires is to provide a safe net for all those doing business within Nigerian waters.
Launched on the first of June, 2014, Akpobolokemi said NIMASA is now able to respond to any distress call on Nigerian waters.
“The new 24 hours Satellite Surveillance equipment has the capability to detect boast, ships and objects of predefined cross-section floating on water.
“This includes any aircraft that ditches and remain on the surface during satellite over-flight.
“Its abilities further include setting range rings in restricted areas which when penetrated by an intruder triggers an alarm thereby alerting the operator and watch keeper,” NIMASA DG said.
Akpobolokemi explained to news men in Lagos during a world press conference that the facility was instrumental to the rescue of a Ghanaian flagged vessel hijacked by pirates off the coast of Ghana in June, 2014 .
Other features of the facility according to the DG also include the ability to see beyond the territorial waters of Nigeria, Identify ship positions in real time which can greatly enhance search and rescue.
He further stated that the Surveillance equipment can plot search and rescue patterns, detect vessels that switch off their Automatic Identification System, AIS and interrogate the satellite image for more information.
Apkolobokemi added that the agency is currently upgrading it’s Global Maritime Distress Safety System, GMDSS in Lagos, Bonny and Oron including the Radar installation in Escravos Bonny and Takwa Bay in Lagos which will complement the satellite facility and further boost the agency’s awareness response capability when fully operational.
When Sweetcrude Reports visited the Satellite Surveillance Centre at NIMASA head office in Apapa along few journalist, Director Shipping Development, Captain Warede Enisuoh demonstrated how the facility works with the aid of space satellite.
Through the aid of three wide monitor screen placed on the wall of the centre, Enisuoh showed journalist all vessels within Nigeria territorial waters and the western coast.
He also showed journalist present at the facility the number of vessels that have switched of their Automatic Identification System, AIS.
Enisuoh who also developed the software for the facility explained that vessels that switched off AIS did it to perpetuate illegal acts like crude oil theft or pirate.
He also explained that the satellite surveillance centre has the ability to detect the size of the vessel, the name and the speed. This he did with vivid illustration at the centre to journalist.
According to him, the facility which has 24 hours watch and data recovery will soon be replicated in Kirikiri.
In his words “when we have more than 10 cases of vessels that switched off their AIS, we simply priotise our operations by going for a vessel that is more critical which is determined by the size.
“We priotise our operations because we more cases of illegal vessels in our waters than the man power.”
He said it took him and his team four months to research and develop the software and additional two months to set up the centre.
Enisuoh described the Satellite Surveillance Centre system as latest technology in Africa and the best.
In a strategic move to revitalize Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, the Federal Government has unveiled two key fiscal incentives aimed at attracting investment and enhancing energy security.
The announcement was made by Mr. Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy on Wednesday.
The first initiative, the Value Added Tax (VAT) Modification Order 2024, introduces critical exemptions for essential energy products and infrastructure, including Diesel, Feed Gas, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Electric Vehicles, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure, and Clean Cooking Equipment.
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These exemptions are designed to reduce living costs for Nigerians, promote energy security, and accelerate the transition to cleaner energy alternatives.
The second initiative, the Notice of Tax Incentives for Deep Offshore Oil & Gas Production, offers new tax relief options for deep offshore exploration projects.
This measure aims to position Nigeria’s deep offshore basin as a premier destination for international oil and gas investments, boosting the country’s appeal to foreign investors.
These reforms are part of a broader set of policy initiatives, known as Policy Directives 40-42, endorsed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The directives reflect the administration’s commitment to fostering sustainable development in the energy sector and enhancing Nigeria’s competitive edge in the global oil and gas market.
By Yemie Adeoye
NIGERIA’s President Bola Tinubu has announced that the protracted ExxonMobil-Seplat upstream oil divestment will be formally approved by the Minister of petroleum within a matter of days, just as he announced his government’s intention to expand the Compress natural Gas, CNG buses initiative.
The President who stated this during his Independence day nationwide broadcast stated that the move is in line with his administration’s commitment to free enterprise, free entry and free exit in investments which is the hallmark of his administration investment policy.
“Fellow compatriots, our administration is committed to free enterprise, free entry, and free exit in investments while maintaining the sanctity and efficacy of our regulatory processes. This principle guides the divestment transactions in our upstream petroleum sector, where we are committed to changing the fortune positively. As such, the ExxonMobil Seplat divestment will receive ministerial approval in a matter of days, having been concluded by the regulator, NUPRC, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA. This was done in the same manner as other qualified divestments approved in the sector.”
The President also seized the opportunity to plead with Nigerians to be patient with his administration’s reform policies. “As your President, I assure you that we are committed to finding sustainable solutions to alleviate the suffering of our citizens. Once again, I plead for your patience as the reforms we are implementing show positive signs, and we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel”.
“Our energy transition programme is on course. We are expanding the adoption of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas for mass transit with private sector players. The Federal Government is ready to assist the thirty-six States and FCT in acquiring CNG buses for cheaper public transportation.
Fellow Nigerians, while we are working to stabilise the economy and secure the country, we also seek to foster national unity and build social harmony and cohesion. Our economy can only thrive when there is peace”. he enthused.
As part of the administration’s push to improve Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed support for ExxonMobil’s plan to invest $10 billion in the country’s deep-water oil sector.
Speaking on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, during a meeting with ExxonMobil executives at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Shettima called the investment “a clear testament to the administration’s economic reforms and investor-friendly policies.”
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This announcement follows news that international maritime company DP World intends to develop a multibillion-dollar port project in Nigeria.
Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, shared the development in a statement on Wednesday. He quoted Shettima as saying: “ExxonMobil’s potential investment aligns with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for a more investment-friendly Nigeria.
We are committed to fostering an environment that supports such transformative projects.”Shettima also discussed the administration’s broader efforts to improve the ease of doing business, highlighting the “Renewed Hope Agenda,” which aims to simplify bureaucratic processes, enhance transparency, and offer fiscal incentives to attract global investors.
“Our administration has taken bold steps to unify the exchange rate, remove fuel subsidies, and implement tax reforms. These measures, though challenging in the short term, are intended to create a stable and predictable business environment in the long term,” he added.
On the oil and gas sector, Shettima mentioned that the government is revising the fiscal framework for deep-water operations to attract investment while ensuring fair returns for the Nigerian people.
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