Blue Economy
TWO YEARS ON: HOW MOBEREOLA IS RESHAPING NIMASA AND NIGERIA’S BLUE ECONOMY AMBITION
TWO YEARS ON: HOW MOBEREOLA IS RESHAPING NIMASA AND NIGERIA’S BLUE ECONOMY AMBITION
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent | Lagos
When Dr. Dayo Mobereola assumed the helm of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on March 22, 2024, he walked into an agency weighed down by training backlogs, regulatory gaps, and a global reputation tainted by piracy-era insurance penalties. Two years later, the picture looks strikingly different.
From an IMO Council seat to world-class security ratings from the United States Coast Guard, NIMASA under Mobereola has repositioned Nigeria not just as a West African maritime player, but as a credible voice in global maritime governance.
Dr. Dayo Mobereola Director General NIMASA
Seafarer Training Gets a Lifeline
The backlog in the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) was one of the agency’s most glaring failures before Mobereola’s arrival. He tackled it head-on. Over 235 cadets have since been dispatched to top maritime institutions in India and Greece for training as Licensed Deck and Engine Officers — a significant acceleration of a programme that had stalled for years.
In a symbolic but telling gesture, Mobereola personally attended the 2025 graduation ceremony of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) — a first for a sitting NIMASA Director-General, and a signal of renewed institutional commitment to Nigeria’s seafarer pipeline.
The agency has also modernised its Certificates of Competency (CoC) verification process, bringing Nigeria in line with global STCW requirements and tightening the integrity of its seafarer licensing system.
IMO Council Victory: Nigeria Returns to the Table
The crown jewel of NIMASA’s two-year run is Nigeria’s election into Category C of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council for the 2026–2027 biennium — the country’s first return to the Council in over a decade.
The win, secured at the IMO General Assembly in London on November 28, 2025, came on the back of more than twelve months of diplomatic shuttling, stakeholder engagement, and sustained advocacy. Marine and Blue Economy Minister Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, who led the campaign, credited Nigeria’s reformed maritime security architecture and improvements in the Gulf of Guinea as decisive factors.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu formally commended NIMASA’s management, describing the outcome as a strong affirmation of Nigeria’s growing influence in international maritime affairs.
Digital Overhaul of Maritime Labour Administration
In June 2025, the Federal Government launched the Maritime Labour E-Platform at a Day of the Seafarer event in Port Harcourt. The platform — described by Minister Oyetola as transformative — consolidates the registration of seafarers, dockworkers, employers and other stakeholders under a single digital system, with biometric ID cards replacing paper-heavy processes.
“By centralising registration and issuing secure biometric ID cards, it cuts paperwork, speeds up processing, and gives us reliable real-time data,” said Jibril Abba, NIMASA’s Executive Director for Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services. “This helps us meet our obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention and boosts Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global Blue Economy.”
The platform fulfils NIMASA’s mandate under Section 27(1)(a) of the NIMASA Act 2007 and aligns the country with the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 — the so-called Seafarers’ Bill of Rights.
Operation Zero Tolerance: Enforcement with Teeth
Capacity-building without enforcement is half a policy. Mobereola demonstrated he understands this when NIMASA launched “Operation Zero Tolerance for Non-Compliance” in January 2026 — a targeted enforcement drive covering vessel registration, certifications, Cabotage compliance, ownership documentation, and fee payments.
The operation put all operators on notice: ship owners, oil companies, charterers, offshore installation operators and Free Trade Zone vessel operators were required to self-audit within a 30-day grace period. After that window closed, NIMASA made clear that vessel detention, monetary penalties, and denial of port clearance were the consequences for non-compliance.
“We urge all stakeholders to do their part so that together, we can build on the gains of previous regulatory achievements,” Mobereola stated.
Fighting the War Risk Insurance Premium
Perhaps no campaign better illustrates Mobereola’s international boldness than Nigeria’s push to be removed from war risk insurance (WRI) premium zones.
Nigeria has invested billions in maritime security. The Deep Blue Project has effectively ended piracy in Nigerian waters. Yet international insurers continue to classify Nigeria as high-risk — driving up shipping costs for Nigerian importers, and making Nigerian ports less competitive than they should be.
Under Minister Oyetola’s directive, Mobereola has taken Nigeria’s case directly to the world’s major shipping bodies: BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping, INTERCARGO and INTERTANKO. He also met with Chatham House’s Africa Programme Director Dr. Alex Vines, who agreed to escalate the matter to the United Nations.
Stinne Taiger Ivø, Deputy Secretary General of BIMCO, acknowledged Nigeria’s progress and called on ship owners to push for lower premiums. Zhou Xianyong of INTERCARGO offered assurances of support. Most recently, NIMASA engaged a Danish delegation, strategically targeting Denmark due to its significant stake in Maersk Line — in a bid to get Maersk’s influence working in Nigeria’s favour.
Infrastructure Push: Shipyards, Floating Docks and PPP
November 2025 saw NIMASA accredit 27 shipyards for operation across Nigeria — a meaningful boost to domestic ship repair and maintenance capacity. Ongoing efforts to operationalise the N50 billion Modular Floating Dock at the agency’s Apapa base are expected to further strengthen Nigeria’s maritime infrastructure.
Recognising that government cannot carry this alone, Mobereola has actively championed the Public-Private Partnership model, engaging the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to develop PPP frameworks that can attract both domestic and foreign investors.
Green Credentials: NIMASA at COP 30
NIMASA has also staked Nigeria’s claim as a leader in African maritime decarbonisation. At COP 30 in Belém, Brazil, the agency presented its Nigerian Maritime Continuous Emissions Monitoring System — a landmark tool developed in collaboration with University College London’s research group.
The journey started at COP 28, where NIMASA launched the call for an African Coalition on IMO emissions reduction; progressed at COP 29 with the presentation of a verifiable Nigerian maritime emissions inventory; and culminated at COP 30 with the formal unveiling of the monitoring system.
The IMO Secretary General’s representative, Roel Hoeders, commended NIMASA for deepening the continent’s conversation on maritime energy transition.
Seafarer Rights: Nigeria Leads at the ILO
On the international labour front, Mobereola has been equally vocal. At the 353rd session of the ILO Governing Body in Geneva in March 2025, he delivered a passionate address advocating for the formal designation of seafarers as key workers — a recognition that would guarantee their legal protection, priority access to healthcare, and fair labour conditions under the MLC 2006.
Domestically, NIMASA facilitated a Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2025 between the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and shipping companies, establishing a reviewed minimum wage framework and clearer working conditions.
Security Gains Earn Global Recognition
Nigeria’s maritime security transformation has drawn praise from unexpected quarters. Following assessment visits to Dangote Port, Lekki Free Trade Zone, and private facilities in Warri, the United States Coast Guard delivered a verdict that few in the industry anticipated.
“Nigeria’s compliance with the ISPS Code ranks amongst the best globally,” said Joe Prince Larson, who led the USCG assessment team.
The assessment is part of a three-year plan to support the lifting of the Condition of Entry placed on Nigeria-bound vessels heading to American ports — a development that would significantly open up Nigeria’s maritime trade lanes. Naval officers from 20 countries participating in the French-led Siren Course also made a special port call in Lagos to study NIMASA’s C4I Centre, with the French Defence Attaché calling the Navy-NIMASA partnership “a model worthy of study.”
CVFF Disbursement in Sight
The long-delayed Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) — a persistent frustration for indigenous shipowners — has shown new signs of life under Mobereola. In January 2026, NIMASA commissioned the CVFF Application Portal, and meaningful disbursement to Nigerian shipowners is now anticipated within 2026.
Combined with the 27 newly accredited shipyards, the developments are beginning to create an ecosystem where local operators can finance vessels and access domestic repair services — a crucial step toward genuine cabotage growth.
The Road Ahead
As NIMASA moves deeper into 2026, the foundations are in place. But the harder work — converting policy into commercial outcomes — lies ahead. The war risk insurance campaign must yield real premium reductions. The CVFF must translate into actual fleet expansion. The IMO Council seat must be leveraged. The Floating Dock must be operationalized.
What is already beyond dispute is that under Mobereola’s watch, NIMASA has moved from a reactive regulator struggling with compliance backlogs to a proactive institution earning commendations on the global stage. Whether the momentum holds will determine whether Nigeria’s maritime sector finally delivers on its longstanding promise as an engine of national development.
Blue Economy
NSC BOSS WARNS SHIPPING FIRMS, FREIGHT FORWARDERS: RETURN TO THE TABLE OR FACE FEDERAL ESCALATION
NSC BOSS WARNS SHIPPING FIRMS, FREIGHT FORWARDERS: RETURN TO THE TABLE OR FACE FEDERAL ESCALATION
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent, Lagos
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has issued a firm warning to foreign shipping companies and clearing agents locked in a bitter standoff over recently approved port tariff increases — resolve your differences or face intervention at the highest levels of government.
Dr. Pius Akutah, Executive Secretary of the NSC, delivered the stark message while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Council’s management retreat in Abeokuta, making clear that the regulator will not stand idle as the dispute threatens to destabilise operations at Nigeria’s seaports.
Akutah revealed that the Council had twice declined requests from shipping companies to raise charges before approving the current tariff hike — a decision he said was driven not by profit motives, but by the need to address mounting operational costs facing maritime operators.
“I think that they need to work together more harmoniously to resolve these issues. We, as a regulator have given the approval. It is left for the shipping companies and the freight forwarders to come to a harmonious stand where they can implement this,” Akutah said.
The NSC boss, however, stressed that any resolution must involve genuine compromise from both sides, cautioning that a deadlock serves no one.
“There must be a reason for people to move and shift ground. It should be a give-and-take relationship. Whenever there is a standstill and nobody is moving, then there is a problem,” he warned.
Akutah disclosed that the Council had already attempted to broker peace between the warring parties, but the dispute had dragged on — prompting the renewed public call for both sides to get back to the negotiating table.
“Recently, we tried to see how we can wade into this to see how they can resolve this, but this has kept going on. We are calling on both sides to go back to the table and see how they can resolve this issue and move on,” he said.
With patience wearing thin, Akutah put both camps on notice that federal involvement was now on the cards if the impasse continues.
“We cannot sit and watch this without taking steps. It will get to a point where we can escalate this to the level of the minister, if they fail to resolve it,” he stated.
The NSC chief rounded off with a broader warning to all maritime stakeholders, cautioning that the sustainability of Nigeria’s entire shipping sector depends on a spirit of cooperation.
“If they say there won’t be any hike in charges and at the end of the day the cost of operation has hindered them from carrying out their functions, then we will not have a maritime sector,” he said.
Blue Economy
$10BN Cargo Crises: Over 270,000 TEUs Stranded as Global Shipping Giant Halt Gulf Bookings — Nigeria’s Trade Lanes at Risk
$10BN Cargo Crises: Over 270,000 TEUs Stranded as Global Shipping Giant Halt Gulf Bookings — Nigeria’s Trade Lanes at Risk
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent | Lagos
The global shipping industry is facing one of its most severe disruptions in recent memory, as leading container carriers suspend cargo bookings across the Arabian Gulf amid intensifying Middle East tensions — a crisis that threatens to ripple through Nigeria’s import-dependent economy and raise costs at the ports of Lagos, Apapa, and Tin Can Island.
Industry data now confirms that more than 270,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) — valued at an estimated $10 billion — are stranded at Gulf ports or adrift in surrounding waters, with no clear timeline for resolution.
Ben Tracy, Vice President of Strategic Business Development at shipping intelligence firm Vizion, described the scale of the paralysis as staggering. “You are looking at about $10 billion worth of cargo stranded at ports or in the Arabian Gulf. That’s over 270,000 TEUs,” Tracy stated.
Global shipping giant A.P. Moller–Maersk, which operates several key routes serving West Africa including Nigeria, has suspended all cargo booking acceptance for shipments to and from ports in the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and most Omani ports, with the exception of Salalah. The Danish carrier currently has approximately 14 vessels with a combined capacity of roughly 70,000 TEUs either trapped or operating in the affected zone.
French carrier CMA CGM, another major player on Nigeria-bound trade lanes, has halted hazardous cargo bookings to multiple Middle Eastern destinations and suspended Suez Canal transits entirely. Between 14 and 17 of its vessels — representing close to 70,000 TEUs — are reported to be sheltering or stranded in the region.
German liner Hapag-Lloyd has gone further, implementing an immediate and comprehensive booking suspension covering all cargo types to and from Gulf ports, including those in the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman’s Sohar terminal, and Saudi Arabia’s Dammam and Jubail ports. Hapag-Lloyd’s Chief Executive Officer, Rolf Jansen, confirmed that approximately 50,000 TEUs belonging to the carrier have been caught in the conflict zone.
Ocean Network Express (ONE) and COSCO Shipping Lines have also announced temporary booking suspensions on critical Gulf routes. ONE’s CEO, Jeremy Nixon, noted that around 100 container vessels are among approximately 750 ships currently navigating the Strait of Hormuz — a choke point through which a significant portion of global energy and trade cargo passes. COSCO, meanwhile, has issued a navigation advisory ordering vessels to prioritise crew safety by reducing speed, anchoring, or relocating to safer anchorages, with logistics sources estimating that six of its ships are directly affected. Shipping data firm Kpler adds that MSC has between 15 and 16 vessels either trapped or sheltering in the Gulf.
The disruption, experts warn, is not confined to vessels already at sea. Cargo waiting at origin ports worldwide — including goods destined for Nigeria from Asian and European manufacturers — is equally frozen. “Containers destined to the region are waiting in their origin ports. These containers have nowhere to go,” Tracy said.
For Nigerian importers and manufacturers who depend heavily on goods transiting through Gulf hubs, the consequences could prove severe. Logistics firms have warned that carriers are now invoking emergency clauses written into Bills of Lading, which allow them to divert vessels to alternative ports or terminate voyages ahead of schedule. SEKO Logistics, in a notice to clients, cautioned that shippers could face a cascade of additional charges — including container handling fees, storage costs, diversion surcharges, and onward transportation expenses.
MSC has already moved to monetise the disruption, reportedly imposing an $850 charge per container for diverted cargo — a levy that, applied across all affected shipments, could yield approximately $158 million in fees for the carrier alone.
The unfolding crisis at the Strait of Hormuz adds fresh urgency to longstanding calls within Nigeria’s maritime sector for supply chain diversification, stronger bilateral shipping agreements, and accelerated development of domestic port infrastructure capable of absorbing such global shocks. For now, Nigerian traders, port operators, and logistics managers will be watching developments in the Gulf closely — knowing that what happens in the Hormuz could very quickly be felt on the Lagos shoreline.
Blue Economy
Coastal Communities Key to Blue Economy Success, Says GMA Founder Onakughotor at Ondo Summit
Coastal Communities Key to Blue Economy Success, Says GMA Founder Onakughotor at Ondo Summit
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent
The President and Founder of the Global Maritime Academy (GMA), Mr. Ejiro Dennis Onakughotor, has declared that Nigeria’s Blue Economy ambitions can only succeed if coastal communities are placed at the heart of its implementation — and not treated as afterthoughts.
Onakughotor made this assertion at the maiden Maritime Summit on Marine and Blue Economy held in Igboegunrin Kingdom, Ondo State, where traditional rulers, maritime experts, and key government stakeholders gathered to chart a new course for Nigeria’s ocean-based economic future.
Themed “The Marine and Blue Economy Policy and Its Implementation: The Game Changer to the Nigerian Economy,” the summit drew overwhelming support from participants who expressed readiness to help Nigeria harness its vast marine and coastal resources for sustainable national growth.
Grassroots-Driven Development
Describing coastal communities as “the heartbeat of Nigeria’s emerging ocean economy,” Onakughotor argued that investment in the Blue Economy must flow from the ground up. He stressed that the full implementation of Nigeria’s marine and ocean-based development policies must be community-driven to achieve genuine national economic transformation.”This gathering is more than a conference — it is a turning point for coastal development, economic diversification, and inclusive growth,” he said.
“This gathering is more than a conference — it is a turning point for coastal development, economic diversification, and inclusive growth”
He noted that the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy marked a deliberate pivot away from Nigeria’s longstanding oil dependence, aligning the country with a global ocean economy valued at over $1.5 trillion.
Jobs, Infrastructure and Opportunity
Onakughotor cited Federal Government projections of creating three million jobs within four years across fisheries, aquaculture, shipping services, coastal tourism, and maritime security — sectors in which riverine and coastal communities like Igboegunrin stand to benefit most.
He also highlighted planned government investments in smart ports and the dredging of more than 2,000 kilometres of inland waterways, positioning host communities along Nigeria’s water corridors as emerging hubs for maritime transport and logistics.
Onakughotor urged youths in Igboegunrin Kingdom and other coastal areas to proactively acquire relevant skills and position themselves to take advantage of the opportunities ahead.
GMA’s Community-Driven Agenda
As a practical step toward capacity building, the Global Maritime Academy president unveiled a community-driven initiative that includes:
Vocational training for local cadets and youths in marine engineering, shipping management, logistics, and maritime security
Upskilling for artisanal fishers in modern aquaculture practices, sustainable fishing methods, and improved post-harvest handling
Coastal safety and surveillance training to strengthen waterway security for trade, tourism, and community wellbeing
Scholarships for deserving students from Igboegunrin Kingdom to access maritime education and vocational training
Onakughotor also made a passionate appeal to indigenes of Igboegunrin Kingdom — at home and in the diaspora — to support the establishment of a GMA Vocational Centre in the community, describing it as a future hub for skills acquisition, youth empowerment, and long-term economic transformation.
Sustainable Roadmap
The summit outlined a broader development roadmap anchored on integrated coastal management, digital inclusion through port automation and marine technologies, and community-owned eco-tourism designed to preserve local culture while generating income for households.
Closing his remarks, Onakughotor reminded participants that the Blue Economy is ultimately a people-centred agenda — one that directly affects fishermen, students, and local entrepreneurs. He called on all stakeholders to move beyond dialogue and take decisive action in unlocking shared prosperity along Nigeria’s coastlines.
Dignitaries
Prominent figures at the event included the Ondo State Governor, represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Marine and Blue Economy, Hon. Olugbemiro Aladenusi; the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon. Oluwasegun Omojuwa; and the royal host, Phillip Olatunji Kalejaye, the traditional ruler of Igboegunrin Kingdom.
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