The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has commenced the maritime labour electronic platform for the seamless registration, regulation and collation of data of dockworkers, seafarers, stevedoring companies, seafarer employers, Jetties, terminal operators and offshore platforms or terminals.
Speaking yesterday at the official flag-off of maritime labour e-platform and issuance of biometric identity cards to dockworkers at APM Terminal Apapa, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, said the platform was conceived out of the need to establish an independent, robust, integrated information, verification and communication platform that will serve as system database generation on Maritime Labour.
He said it would also serve as a source of statistical data and analytics for national planning, policymaking, capacity building and research.
According to the NIMASA boss, the maritime labour employers can also conveniently complete their registration process from the comfort of their offices without necessarily visiting the Agency’s Office.
“I am particularly delighted about the prospect of eliminating the time consuming process of seafarers and employers registration, which is what the E-Platform would provide. It is further expected that the E-Platform will promote a seamless registration process that will culminate into the issuance of biometric identity cards to seafarers and dockworkers,” he said.
He added that the agency’s ongoing collaboration with various government agencies is aimed at creating jobs for seafarers, adding that the e-platform would also provide the required data for seafarers training, certification and placement onboard vessels.
“Our resolve to make life meaningful to the entire Maritime Labour remains firm and we intend to achieve this through sustainable efforts in capacity building and improved welfare. The Agency is also prioritising the training of seafarers to meet industry needs with emphasis on specialised and advanced trainings,” he said.
Jamoh further implored seafarer employers, manning agents, terminal operators, dock labour employers, seafarers, dockworkers and other stakeholders to ensure the platform is put into good use, while avoiding practices that will expose it to the manipulations of online scammers.
The Executive Director, Maritime Labour & Cabotage Services, NIMASA, Victor Ochei, said the launching of the e-platform is in pursuant of the implementation of section 27 (1) (a) of NIMASA’s Act, 2007, which mandates it to register and maintain a register of every maritime worker and operators.
He said the platform will provide a one-stop platform for online registration, authentication, verification of registration of seafarers, manning agents, seafarer employers, dockworkers, stevedores, jetty, terminal operators and off shore platforms with the agency.
Ochei said it would also improve from the current manual operations of Maritime Labour services registration to electronic registration in line with international best practices.
He noted that the platform would also centralise, coordinate and integrate the collection, storage and generation of maritime labour data for the purpose of planning, research assessment and evaluation.
The Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haastrup, said the electronic platform will go a long way to assist not only the docklabour industry, but the entire maritime industry.
Haastrup, while urging terminal operators to take advantage of the platform, also charged stakeholders to cooperate with NIMASA to make this exercise a seamless one in a bid to have a well-coordinated port system.