Maritime
EU and UNODC mark the launch of a new maritime security partnership in Mauritius
PORT-LOUIS – On 27 January at La Plantation Hotel in Balaclava, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will celebrate the renewal of their partnership under the EU-funded Programme to Promote Regional Maritime Security in the Eastern and Southern Africa – Indian Ocean region, better known under its acronym MASE.
The EU and UNODC have agreed to take the opportunity of an important training session in Mauritius to celebrate the renewal of their partnership under the Programme to Promote Regional Maritime Security (MASE programme) in the presence of officials from the Government of Mauritius and criminal justice agencies, as well as representatives from the Indian Ocean Commission. Mr Guy Samzun, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Mauritius and Mr. Robert McLaughlin, senior legal advisor and counter-piracy expert representing UNODC will deliver statements on this occasion.
UNODC Maritime Crime Programme is dedicated to supporting States in the East African and Indian Ocean regions to combat maritime crime, with a focus on capacity building and criminal justice development. As part of the overarching MASE programme, the EU signed an agreement with UNODC in November 2013 to the amount of EUR 5 million to continue supporting States in the Eastern and Southern Africa-Indian Ocean region to develop and strengthen national/regional legal, legislative and infrastructural capability for arrest, transfer, detention and prosecution of pirates. This is a continuation of the ongoing European Union support to the valuable work of UNODC.
Under the EU-UNODC MASE partnership, the EU will provide funding for UNODC to continue its support to combating maritime crime for Eastern and Southern African and Indian Ocean States, including Mauritius. This support takes many forms and includes training of Judges, lawyers, police and prison staff; provision of new equipment; legislative support; infrastructural development, mentoring and support to maritime crime prosecutions. Such assistance is contingent upon the cooperation of national partners. The EU and UNODC have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with national criminal justice agencies in Mauritius and see this as a key component of the success of the new partnership under the MASE programme.
The implementation of the MASE programme requires regional ownership and responsibility, solidarity and intra-regional burden-sharing, effective communication and information-sharing mechanisms as well as collaboration with other implementing partners with expertise and experience. Therefore, the MASE programme will be implemented under the leadership of the Regional Organisations of the Eastern and Southern Africa – Indian Ocean in collaboration with other implementing partners including UNODC and INTERPOL. The new partnership between the EU and UNODC will be implemented under the framework of Result 2 of the MASE programme “Development and strengthening of national and regional legal, legislative and infrastructural capabilities” which is led by the East African Community.
Background
The European Union (EU) is stepping up its support to fight maritime crime in the Indian Ocean. Piracy, drugs and arms smuggling, human trafficking, illegal fishing and maritime pollution are serious threats that can undermine peace and stability and which increase the cost of doing business. In 2013, the EU launched the MASE programme, a new and crucial programme to combat maritime crime and promote maritime security in the Eastern and Southern Africa-Indian Ocean region. The MASE programme will provide support to reduce and prosecute maritime crimes in line with the Regional Strategy against Piracy and for Promoting Maritime Security adopted in October 2010 in Mauritius during the 2nd High Level Regional Ministerial Conference on Maritime Piracy It will thus secure trade routes in the Eastern and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Region. The MASE Programme, which amounts to a total of EUR 37.5 million from the 10th European Development Fund, will be implemented over five years under the leadership of four Regional Organisations, namely IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority for Development), COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa), EAC (East African Community) and IOC (Indian Ocean Commission).
Under the EU – UNODC partnership, UNODC will be responsible for working to strengthen the ‘maritime criminal justice system’ in Eastern and Southern Africa and
Indian Ocean states such as Mauritius. This is achieved through training, capacity building, and support to maritime crime prosecutions. Maritime crimes include piracy, trafficking of human beings, and smuggling of drug and weapons. Once suspects are arrested for maritime crimes, trials can be extremely difficult to conclude. This is because suspects and witnesses are often from countries other than the one in which the trial takes place, due to the international nature of maritime activities. UNODC works hand in hand with national governments to overcome these challenges and bring criminals to justice. In doing so, it provides assistance to the core national criminal justice institutions; assistance which is not limited to maritime security but has wider-ranging benefits.
In addition to the MASE partnership, the UNODC Maritime Crime Programme is also engaged in capacity building activities in Somalia, with a view to strengthening Somalia’s own ability to combat and ultimately prosecute maritime crime, particularly piracy. A core component of Maritime Crime Programme’s work is providing for prisoners that have been convicted for piracy in courts across the East African / Indian Ocean region to be transferred to prisons in Somalia where they can complete their sentences in their home country. UNODC is involved in the construction, maintenance and monitoring of these prisons to ensure that detainees are kept in secure and humane detention conditions.
In addition to the MASE programme, the European Union has a number of
programmes in support maritime security. Complementary to the work that UNODC undertakes, the EUCAP Nestor operation also has a mandate to support capacity development in national criminal justice systems. The combined actions of many countries and agencies in securing the Indian Ocean have proved effective in addressing piracy.
The programme complements a number of other EU actions including the two other missions of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy in the region, the
European Union Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atlanta, a naval operation that provides more direct support to secure safety on the high seas, and the EU military Training Mission (EUTM) for Somalia.
The management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has advised International Oil Companies, terminal and jetty operators, and all other companies involved in stevedoring in the country to refrain from engaging unregistered dockworkers.
The information was contained in a statement made available to Biztellers by the Head, Public Relations, NIMASA, Osagie Edward.
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According to the statement, all stakeholders, including dock labour employers and stevedoring companies, are encouraged to apply for new operating licenses or renew expired ones within a 30-day moratorium period.
“This requirement,” it added, “is stipulated by the NIMASA Act of 2007 and outlined in the NIMASA Stevedoring Regulations of 2014, which mandates strict compliance from all maritime operators.”
Osagie cited the Director General, NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola as laying emphasis on the need for stakeholders to comply with extant laws and regulations.
Dr Mobereola said, “No terminal or company shall continue to engage the services of unregistered dockworkers for cargo handling at their work locations.
“This move is part of our broader effort to ensure safe and regulated operations within Nigeria’s maritime industry. Compliance with these regulations will enhance our ability to maintain an up-to-date database of dockworkers operating in the country. It also improves our planning processes, as we are committed to developing their capacity to meet globally accepted standards for dockworkers in Nigeria. We intend to enforce full compliance after the moratorium period.”
It was gathered that the NIMASA Act, 2007, Part IX, Section 27, addressed the registration of Dockworkers with focus on Maritime Labour.
“It ensures the Registration, Regulation, and control of Maritime Labour, including dockworkers. The Act assigns the Agency the responsibility of maintaining standards in accordance with international best practices,” Osagie added.
Nigeria has expressed a strong desire to seek election into Category “C” of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council.
The Honorable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, made the disclosure at the 2024 World Maritime Day parallel event in Barcelona, Spain.
Oyetola noted that Nigeria has put in place the basic needs for the development of her maritime industry in line with recognized global best practices.
In his words, “our active participation in upholding key conventions, such as the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, reflects our dedication to ensuring the safety of international shipping.
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There have been no incidents of piracy in the last three years, as confirmed by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB). By deploying resources to provide maritime security assets, Nigeria has solidified its role as a key guardian of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
Nigeria remains a valuable source of manpower for the industry. I therefore urge our partners to explore this potential and assist where possible in the best interest of all. Our Maritime Academy has adequate resources and facilities to support this development.
“I am pleased to announce Nigeria’s resolve to seek a Category “C” membership on the Council.
On his part, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, assured that no stone will be left unturned to ensure success in the quest for IMO Category C membership at the next elections.
According to him, “We at NIMASA have met with the IMO technical team and have commenced work on all identified grey areas so that Nigeria can address the gaps identified during the last audit by the IMO.
”We have also commenced the process of effective communication with other member states using the IMO GSIS platform, among others. While we at NIMASA focus on the technical aspects of the preparations, our supervising Ministry will provide the political will to guide Nigeria back to the Council at the IMO.”
Oyetola, who held engagement sessions with the IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez and other diplomats, was accompanied on the working tour by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olufemi Oloruntola; the Director General of the NIMASA; the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho; the Managing Director of NIWA, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji; and the Director of Maritime Safety and Security Services, Mr. Babatunde Bombata.
This year’s parallel event with the theme: Navigating the Future: Safety First, brought together international maritime leaders and experts to discuss future challenges and opportunities, with the aim of ensuring that safety is prioritized in the day-to-day operations of the global maritime sector.
The adoption of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model is essential for the infrastructural development of Nigeria’s maritime sector.
This is the view of the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola.
The DG, shared his views while hosting the Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh.
He emphasized the importance of the Commission’s increased involvement in attracting private investors to develop infrastructural capacity in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
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Dr. Mobereola said, “We appreciate the Management of the ICRC for being responsive. However, you know that the maritime sector is capital intensive and government funds cannot solely put in place the required infrastructure. We need the ICRC to develop PPP based business models that will be attractive to the private sector both from within and outside the country.
“There is the need to streamline processes by the use of technology, as we will continue to count on the support of ICRC to help drive the Agency’s PPP projects for effective and efficient service delivery to our stakeholders”.
Lending support to Dr. Mobereola’s views, Dr. Ewalefoh, underscored the significance of the maritime sector to Nigeria’s economy.
He noted that the PPP model would facilitate increased funding and expertise from the private sector, thereby accelerating the growth and development of the Nigerian maritime sector. Additionally, he stated that the ICRC is prepared to engage with the Agency on its projects and ensure timely execution.
“There is no time to waste; our country needs lots of funding for infrastructure and we need to create an enabling environment for activities to thrive. First, is service delivery, not revenue generation, and people will be willing to pay if they get the right services”, the ICRC boss noted.
The PPP model has proven to be the most viable approach worldwide for driving government policies that promote development and economic growth.
Biztellers reports that as a regulatory agency and Nigeria’s Maritime Administrator, the NIMASA has consistently embraced collaboration and partnership through the PPP initiative to ensure the growth and development of the maritime sector.
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