In a bid to ensure the adoption of global best practices in the Nigerian maritime sector, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said it is participating in the testing of an international satellite system that would improve communication channels for vessels at sea.
The NIMASA Director-General, Bashir Jamoh, disclosed this at the launch of Denmark’s first commercial satellite, Sternula-1, in Aalborg, Denmark.
According to him, shipping depends on a secure and reliable flow of information, and for that reason, access to quality data is essential for ship managers to make decisions, act on market opportunities, and meet new requirements.
He called for international collaboration to attain standard digitalisation in the global Maritime Administrations, in order to ensure effective communication, in line with provisions of the International Maritime Organisation, (IMO), and the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities, (IALA).
According to him, the IMO set the requirements for the e-navigation implementation plan, while IALA develops the technical measures to ease and promote digital communication in the maritime Industry.
Jamoh said that a well-digitalised system can lead 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 further said that digitalisation is the foundation of smart ports, which can transform real-time data into accurate and more precise business decisions, rendering port operations extremely effective, as it interconnects all sectors of the maritime supply chain.
Pointing out that digitalisation transforms organisations from being reactive to pro-active in areas such as safety and safety reporting, the NIMASA D-G said there are massive untapped potentials for the shipping industry to improve its operational efficiency, through harnessing ship-to-shore data flows that can positively impact commercial, environmental and safety performance reporting processes.
Recall that NIMASA, in the third quarter of 2022, signed a letter-of-intent with the Danish telecoms company, Sternula, to participate in the worldwide AIS 2.0 demo project, which will allow for early testing of digital services over the satellite-based AIS 2.0 at the beginning of 2023.
Sternula-1 and the built-in AIS 2.0 technology, also called VDES, is a new communication solution for implementing a global e-Navigation strategy.
