{"id":4951,"date":"2025-10-03T08:13:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T07:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/?p=4951"},"modified":"2025-10-03T08:13:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T07:13:10","slug":"gulf-of-guinea-security-imo-gives-nigeria-thumbs-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/03\/gulf-of-guinea-security-imo-gives-nigeria-thumbs-up\/","title":{"rendered":"GULF OF GUINEA SECURITY: IMO GIVES NIGERIA THUMBS UP"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, CON (left) presenting a souvenir to the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr. Arsenio Dom\u00ednguez, during the IMO Secretary-General\u2019s visit to Nigeria, on Thursday.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr. Arsenio Dom\u00ednguez, has lauded Nigeria\u2019s remarkable achievements in maritime security, particularly its success in recording zero piracy incidents for over three years and the groundbreaking Deep Blue Project, which he described as a model for regional cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea.<\/p>\n

Mr. Dom\u00ednguez, who arrived in Nigeria on Thursday, made the remarks during a courtesy visit to the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola, CON. He noted that Nigeria\u2019s investment in maritime safety infrastructure and the collaboration of its security agencies, especially the Nigerian Navy, have yielded tangible results in combating piracy and maritime crimes. According to him, these efforts demonstrate Nigeria\u2019s leadership and commitment to ensuring safer seas, not just for its own waters but for the wider West and Central African region.<\/p>\n

The IMO chief acknowledged Nigeria\u2019s recent submission to the organization outlining its national and regional security initiatives, and while commending the progress made, he stressed the need for continued support in infrastructure development and acquisition of modern equipment. He assured that the IMO would remain committed to providing technical assistance through awareness campaigns, training programmes and capacity-building initiatives.<\/p>\n

In highlighting the organization\u2019s ongoing projects, Mr. Dom\u00ednguez referenced a regional conference scheduled to hold in Ghana in January on the Safe Seas Project, designed to consolidate contributions from Nigeria and other partner states. He also announced ongoing discussions with the European Union aimed at launching a new maritime governance project focused on ports and security, as well as two regional projects in Southern and Western Africa where progress would be tracked through defined indicators.<\/p>\n

Beyond security, Mr. Dom\u00ednguez emphasized the need for countries to prepare for wider global challenges including the energy transition, the adoption of biofuels, and financing mechanisms to support training of seafarers, infrastructure development and the adoption of future fuels. He praised Nigeria\u2019s Blue Economy Policy as a forward-looking initiative for harnessing marine resources sustainably and expressed admiration for the facilities at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria in Oron, especially the training infrastructure. He encouraged greater collaboration between the academy, the Ministry of Education and industry stakeholders to guide young Nigerians in pursuing maritime careers.<\/p>\n

Minister Oyetola, in his address, said the IMO chief\u2019s visit reflected the strength of Nigeria\u2019s relationship with the global maritime body. He noted that Nigeria\u2019s partnership with the Nigerian Navy and other stakeholders had been pivotal in suppressing piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and reaffirmed the country\u2019s determination to consolidate recent gains and expand opportunities in the marine and blue economy. He thanked Mr. Dom\u00ednguez for choosing Nigeria for the visit and expressed optimism that the discussions would further strengthen bilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n

During the visit, presentations were delivered by top government officials and key stakeholders in the sector. The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, highlighted ongoing reforms and initiatives in security, seafarer welfare and regulatory frameworks aimed at positioning Nigeria as a leading maritime nation. The Acting Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, Dr. Kevin Okonna, showcased the academy\u2019s modern training facilities and underscored the importance of international partnerships in cadet exchange and simulator-based training. The Managing Director of the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Mr. Wang Qiang, outlined the port\u2019s role in boosting Nigeria\u2019s cargo handling capacity, creating jobs and attracting long-term foreign investments.<\/p>\n

Mr. Dom\u00ednguez also interacted with cadets of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, urging them to embrace emerging opportunities in the maritime sector, particularly in renewable energy, green shipping and maritime technology.<\/p>\n

He reaffirmed IMO\u2019s commitment to working closely with Nigeria to strengthen maritime safety, enhance governance structures, and drive the sustainable growth of the blue economy, noting that the country\u2019s achievements already serve as a model of excellence for Africa and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr. Arsenio Domínguez, has lauded Nigeria’s remarkable achievements in maritime security, particularly its success in recording zero piracy incidents for over three years and the groundbreaking Deep Blue Project, which he described as a model for regional cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea. Mr. Domínguez, who arrived […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[1592,1917,1630,2037,2036],"class_list":["post-4951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-feature","tag-con","tag-his-excellency-adegboyega-oyetola","tag-honourable-minister-of-marine-and-blue-economy","tag-mr-arsenio-dominguez","tag-secretary-general-of-the-international-maritime-organization-imo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4951"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4955,"href":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4951\/revisions\/4955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}