The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Nigerian Navy have agreed to set up a joint committee to work out ways to solve the perennial insecurity in oil locations in the country.
The Executive Secretary (ES), NCDMB, Mr. Simbi Wabote who spoke during a meeting with the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Zubairu Gambo, yesterday in Abuja, said the collaboration became important because of the threat posed by the activities of aberrant operators in the waterways.
According to him, the enforcement of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act in maritime operations would curb the use of non-compliant and non-categorised vessels.
In addition, he explained that working closely with the navy would help in intercepting illegal vessels as well as aberrant crew members impinging on the country’s oil and gas assets.
“The two organisations would set up a high-level committee that would work out detailed modalities for the collaboration and enable both organisations to accomplish their respective mandates,” he said.
Wabote added that the board receives alerts regularly via its whistle-blowing portal and would like to investigate such information and recommend genuine cases to the navy.
Other possible areas of collaboration, he said, included support to the board in assessment visits to vessels and provision of information to the board on vessels and tankers plying the Nigerian waters and oil and gas locations.
Listing some other achievements of the board in the past five years, Wabote stated that it had begun the first phase of developing the Brass Island Terminal in Bayelsa State.
“The facility will carry out repair and maintenance of large ships and vessels such as LNG carriers, and maritime equipment such as jack-up rig vessels,” he added.
On the other hand, Zubairu pledged the support of the navy in deepening stakeholders’ compliance with the NOGICD Act.
He also sought the assistance of the board in upgrading the naval shipyard in Lagos, particularly the slipway.
