The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said it would put a stop to vessels with a high amount of sulphur in the fuel that allows for emission of carbon monoxide into the air from calling at the nation’s seaports.
Mr. Dakuku Peterside, the NIMASA Director-General, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ forum in Lagos. He said the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) through Annex VI, has put a cap on the amount of sulphur and nitrogen dioxide emitted into the air and the amount of sulphur contained in the fuel a ship used and emitted to the air.
Ships contribute to emissions of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere and this contributes to climate change, and if not checked over time, will have an effect on the atmosphere and in turn on the environment.
According to Peterside, the penalty for vessels that violate the latest convention would be to be barred from calling at the nation’s seaports.
“When vessels berth at our various ports, we take a sample of the fuel and so many other things we do to check the quality of fuels and emissions thereof. But the penalty for violation of Marpol Annex VI would be not allowing such vessels to call in our territorial waters,” he said.
