The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has officially taken control of designated areas at the continental shipyard, following an arrangement with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for the operation of the modular floating dock.
The areas now under NIMASA’s management encompass several key facilities, including the dolphin jetty, the adjoining slipway waterfront, the administrative block, construction, welding and mechanical workshops, as well as a civil maintenance workshop, among others.
In a ceremony to mark the handover, the director-general of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh emphasised that this significant development signals the final phase of the agency’s effort to establish the modular floating dockyard.
Represented by the head of the public-private partnership (PPP) unit, Mr. Kabiru Diso the director-general assured stakeholders that all obstacles between NIMASA and NPA have been effectively resolved, paving the way for the imminent deployment of the modular floating dockyard.
“The modular floating dockyard is a vital national asset, and now that all issues between NPA and NIMASA have been addressed, we are on the brink of deploying the modular floating dock. Our objective is to localise vessel dry-docking, thereby conserving foreign exchange that is presently expended on offshore vessel dry-docking. Moreover, the floating dock will generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for Nigerians, contributing to capacity development,” stated Diso.
The Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has already granted a certificate of compliance for the outline business case (OBC) related to the operation of the floating dock, affirming its viability and sustainability.
Designed to accommodate vessels of up to 10,000 metric tonnes, the modular floating dock will operate under a public-private partnership model, further aligning with Nigeria’s commitment to enhancing maritime infrastructure and capabilities.
