The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has warned stakeholders about 13 vessels bound for Nigeria from five countries heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Eight of the vessels are expected to berth in Apapa, Lagos; four in Bonny, Rivers State; and one in Port Harcourt, Rivers.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Jamoh Bashir, who raised the alarm in a statement, said there was a need to ensure stakeholders adhered strictly to the guidelines put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria.
He said, “We are counting on the continued cooperation of frontline government agencies and private sector operators in this regard as we jointly wage the war against the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Bashir said the advisory was to alert all agencies of government and private sector operators at the ports of the expected arrival of the vessels and ensure that they operated the vessels with the highest level of professionalism.
He added that operators at the ports should ensure all safety measures and precautions in the best interest of the maritime community and the country were fully applied.
The vessels, previous port of call included the United States, Brazil, India, Spain and the United Kingdom.
