NIMASA lost about $3b in three years

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) lost $2,950,151,671.14 in three years through non implementation of the Sea Protection Levy (SPL) by past managements. This, The Nation learnt, was between 2013 and 2015.

The discovery, National Daily gathered, was made when its Director-Gneral (DG), Dr Dakuku Peterside, and the management team visited the Eastern zone of the agency. The SPL regime came into force in 2012.

Peterside and his team, according to sources, were shocked when the revelation was made to them in Port Harcourt.

Under the regime, NIMASA is to collect N1, 500 or $9.38 per cubic metre of pipeline from high-water mark to termination point offshore.

The revenue that was supposed to accrue to the agency from the levy, between 2013 and 2015, according to sources, was N471, 772,655,009 or $2,950,151,671.  It was also discovered that other avenues that could have boosted the agency’s revenue profile were not explored.

For instance, the agency is generating $15 million annually from vessels on offshore platforms and pipelines in the zone. The visit, according to sources, however, revealed that the agency could have generated as much as $900 million from the same platforms annually, if necessary requirements were met.

In the Eastern zone, a source told National Daily, NIMASA generates $11 million annually from vessels on rotations in Cabotage trade when it has the potential of generating $17 million annually.

This amount, it was gathered, excluded millions of dollar the agency could have raked in from stevedoring charges on offshore operations and the Single Window Entry (SWE) platform. Peterside, the National Daily gathered, has directed NIMASA to come forward with the core responsibilities of the zones, articulate uniform reporting template, establish a formidable joint enforcement team and a watertight surveillance system. It was also learnt that the DG directed the automation of workflow, distribution of ships surveillance information from the operation room to various units and the provision of efficient work environment for members of staff to boost revenue.