NIMASA, TOTAL EP Rescues Distressed São Tomé and Príncipe Vessel

NIMASA, TOTAL EP Rescues Distressed São Tomé and Príncipe Vessel 

... We will Continue to Prioritise Safety – Jamoh

Kathy Kyari

A troubled fishing boat owned by a citizen of the São Tomé and Príncipe that had been drifting in the ocean for 11 days was rescued by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, in collaboration with Total Energies EP Nigeria Limited employees.

When a Total Energies Nigeria Limited rescue crew spotted a boat in difficulty at sea near Offshore Operational Field, OML 100, they quickly transmitted signals to the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, RMRCC, situated in NIMASA, advising the Agency of the situation. 

While the boat was anchored at OSHE HONMI, the Total crew swiftly began a rescue operation in accordance with the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Safety of Lives at Sea (SOLAS) standard and immediately handed over the passengers to NIMASA.

The distraught passenger, who only speaks Portuguese, was given first aid by the agency's Search and Rescue SARS clinic and then received complete medical care. The passenger was later turned over to the Nigerian Immigration Service to secure his safe return to his nation.

In response to the situation, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, OFR, Director General of NIMASA, praised Total Energies and NIMASA for their quick response and noted that the Agency's current leadership places a high priority on maritime safety as one of its three main goals.

“We will continue to prioritise safety of lives and property in the maritime sector, while also embracing collaboration as a tool to actualizing our mandate. Safety is everyone’s business, hence we must continue to preach safety in the day-to-day affairs of the Nigerian maritime sector”, Jamoh said. 

The acquisition of five enforcement vessels by NIMASA lately, which would improve its Flag, Port State, and Search and Rescue activities in the Nigerian maritime sector, is significant.

Nigeria adopted the IMO's Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention, and NIMASA is charged with implementing it.