The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has called on the government of Denmark to advocate for a reduction in war risk insurance premiums on ships bound for Nigerian ports, citing the significant improvements in maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
This call was made during a meeting with a Danish delegation led by Kristin Skov-Spilling, Chief Technical Advisor from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at NIMASA headquarters in Lagos.
Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, represented by Executive Director, Finance and Administration, ChudiOfordile, who welcomed the delegation, highlighted NIMASA’s existing collaboration with the Danish government through the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KIPTC) on maritime law enforcement.
He expressed interest in expanding cooperation in areas such as conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and maritime security.
Ofordileemphasised the significant impact of the Deep Blue Project, commissioned by NIMASA in 2021, aimed at mitigating piracy and kidnapping in the Gulf of Guinea.
“The records are clear that since that intervention, there’s been a great reduction and in some years outright elimination of piracy and kidnapping in the Gulf of Guinea,” he stated.
However, he lamented the lack of a corresponding reduction in war risk insurance premiums and freight costs.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t seen a commensurate response in terms of the reduction in the world’s insurance premium paid. And even the cost of freight movement,” he said, urging the Danish government to address this issue.
He expressed frustration at the disconnect between government-led sanctions and the assertion that insurance companies are private entities when seeking premium reductions. “I won’t go as far as calling it an International conspiracy, but something just have to be done about it to encourage Nigeria because a lot of investments have been made in the Deep Blue Project,” he added.
Ofordile also highlighted NIMASA’s financial commitments to the entire Gulf of Guinea region and called for greater collaboration to achieve sustained security.
Speaking earlier, Kristin Skov-Spilling outlined the Danish delegation’s regional visit, which included Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Benin, focusing on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
She detailed the Danish government’s support through partnerships with UNODC, Interpol, and KIPTC, as well as military cooperation.
During an interactive session regarding the war risk insurance premiums, she said: “In terms of the larger issues of War Risk Insurance Premiums, I cannot really make any statement on that because these shipping companies are private entities so I cannot make any statements on that. However, we have taken notes.”
