The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has commenced preparatory works to deploy high-resolution magnetometers to validate the ongoing wreck removal exercise of identified wrecks listed for removal along the Badagry Creek in Lagos.
The Agency’s Director-General, Dr Bashir Jamoh, who made this known yesterday in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos, said the impact of the entire exercise on the marine environment was being assessed by NIMASA.
He said: “We shall also conduct a full bottom sweeping operation by deploying a sonar imagery system with a view to establishing any existing natural or artificial obstacles lying on the seabed within the area of survey for this phase of the wreck removal exercise.
“NIMASA is also taking into consideration the impact of the entire operations on the marine environment with a view to ensuring safety of marine lives.
“We are monitoring the entire exercise closely to guarantee total removal of all identified wrecks.”
Jamoh informed that amongst those already removed included a completely submerged Barge, which was lying over 10 meters deep along the Badagry channel on coordinates 711006.1 Easting and 535294.9 Northing.
He said the Agency had also successfully removed two other completely submerged barges beneath the water at 530924.9 Northing and 710608.3 Easting.
NIMASA is also taking into consideration the impact of the entire operations on the marine environment with a view to ensuring safety of marine lives.
Jamoh continued: “Another completely submerged Barge which has been lying dangerously along the channels on 711617.5 Easting and 533601.6 Northing has also been successfully removed and taken to the dumpsite located in Kirikiri Lagos.
“These are amongst the identified wrecks removed along the creek from Tin-Can Island to Navy Town,” adding that NIMASA had worked with the Hydrography Department of the Nigerian Navy to identify these wrecks as critical.
“We worked closely with the Hydrography Unit of the Nigerian Navy in charting the waters and establishing these wrecks as critical for immediate removal.
“Some are completely submerged while others are partially submerged. This Badagry Creek is a commercial route with passenger vessels plying and we place a premium on safety of lives and properties.
“We are confident that on completion, operations of the Navy in patrolling our waters will also be enhanced as the routes will be free of wrecks,” he said.
Jamoh said NIMASA was charged with the responsibility of ensuring safety of navigation in line with the Wreck Removal Convention that was adopted at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) diplomatic conference in Nairobi Kenya in 2007, and entered into force on April 14, 2015.
“Nigeria was the eighth country to ratify the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks,” he said.