The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sternula of Denmark towards enhancing safe navigation of ships on Nigerian waters.

The MoU is expected to see Sternula providing full-scale Very High Frequency (VHF) Data Exchange System space capabilities to the Agency.

The MoU was signed by Jacob Weibrent of Sternula and witnessed by Jette Bjerrum, consul general of Demark to Nigeria.

Signing on behalf of NIMASA, Bashir Jamoh, director general of the agency, said the international partnership will enhance ship-to-ship and also improve the productivity of seafarers.

According to Jamoh, the move will not only boost the agency’s digitalisation efforts but will further provide alternate communication channels for vessels in line with provisions of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA).

“Access to timely information is critical to a viable seaborne transport, particularly in the era of Blue Economy and there is a need for ship managers to gain access to quality data, which is essential for ship managers to make decisions, while also acting on market opportunities.

“A well-digitalised system leads to a faster access to information, improved customer experience, increased productivity, lower operational costs, improved decision making, improved information security, higher mobility, and automation of business processes among others,” Jamoh said.

He said the IMO sets the requirements for the e-navigation strategy implementation plan while IALA develops the technical solutions needed to promote digital communication in the maritime industry.

Sternula is the world’s first commercial provider of affordable, secure, and global connectivity for the maritime industry using the new AIS 2.0 standard also known as the VHF Data Exchange System. It helps to implement a global e-navigation strategy.

Source- Business Day Newspaper.