The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has launched a special enforcement exercise tagged “Operation Zero Tolerance for Non-Compliance” across Nigeria’s maritime domain.
The move was announced in a Marine Notice issued in line with the agency’s statutory powers under the NIMASA Act 2007, the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act 2003, the Merchant Shipping Act 2007, and other relevant regulations.
Under the exercise, ship and vessel owners, operators, managers, shipping companies and agents, charterers, oil and gas operators, offshore installation managers, Free Trade Zone (FTZ) vessel operators, and other maritime stakeholders operating or seeking to operate in Nigerian waters are required to ensure full compliance with existing statutory obligations.
Key requirements include proper vessel registration, possession of valid statutory certificates, updated ownership documentation, and strict adherence to Cabotage provisions on vessel ownership, registration, manning, and vessel construction. The notice also underscored the need for prompt payment and remittance of all statutory levies and fees as prescribed by law.
As part of the enforcement exercise, NIMASA said it will carry out random and targeted vessel inspections to verify documentation against its records and conduct physical and documentary compliance checks at ports, terminals, and offshore locations. Operators may also be required to present evidence of payment for all applicable levies and charges upon request.
To give operators time to regularise their status, the agency has approved a 30-day self-audit and voluntary compliance window, effective from January 5, 2026.
NIMASA warned that operators who fail to comply after the grace period risk enforcement measures, including vessel detention, financial penalties, withdrawal of waivers or operating licences, and denial of port clearance until full compliance is achieved.
