By Ambrose Obioma Okehi (News Emperor)
A Save Our Soul, SOS or what is termed in a maritime terminology as a Distress Call to the Search and rescue unit of the Nigeran Maritime and Safety Agency, NIMASA recieved a prompt and quick response that saved a total of 7 distressed maritime workers who would have been drawned but due the prompt and immediate action of the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr. Bashir Jamoh OFR, were saved.
The call, according to information, came in at about 11.30 pm on February 2, 2023, from the Safety Officer on MT ALIMA as they reported that while cleaning the tanks of the vessel by a private cleaning company, 8 of the cleaners developed complications due to insufficient oxygen in the tank to sustain them. The position (coordinates) of the ship at the time of the call was 0620.9’’N,00321.9’’E at the single buoy mooring area in Lagos.
Available information revealed to News Emperor that the DG, Dr. Jamoh, immediately without wasting time, swung into action and thereafter directed the NIMASA Head of the Deep Blue project and tge Head of the Maritime Safety Department to deploy one of the fastest intervention boats for rescue operations also directed immediate medical attention to the survivors and those directives were followed without wasting time.
Checks however revealed that on getting there, the NIMASA deep blue project team took the seven survivors to the military hospital at Ikoyi for medical attention, where they are presently recovering at various degrees. Five of them are now stable, one has a broken leg and one is still in critical condition.
The apex regulatory agency, we were told is not relenting in its responsibilities and equally reassured the maritime community of their total commitment to their duties, reemphasising that NIMASA is ever-ready and gaurantees a 24-hour vigilance to respond to distress calls using any of the procured air, land and sea assets.
News Emperor was informed by a source at the agency that Dr. Jamoh his management team are not joking with the search and rescue issues and had urged operators in this unit to be meticulous about basic safety standards at all times.
Dr. Jamoh while ensuring that safety and standard issues are not underated, advised further that those working on board vessels should update themselves with required training that complies with Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) in line with the revised Manila Convention.
The DG (Jamoh) used the medium to thank the rescue team for their alertness and prompt response to operation, reminding them to keep the maritime tradition of round-the-clock watchkeeping and timely response at all times.