The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has concluded arrangements to take delivery of an aircraft for the commencement of the Deep Blue Sea project slated for launch at the end of May this year.
The agency’s Director-General, Bashir Jamoh, disclosed this in Lagos when the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) Hassan Bello, visited him in his office.
Jamoh said that the agency had earlier received three helicopters which had been assembled and are currently being test run to determine their suitability for the project’s surveillance and monitoring activities.
According to him, all arrangements for the successful take off of the project has been set, pointing out that lack of the aircraft assets has been delaying the project’s implementation.
He explained: “The issue of deep blue project, I am one of the first to express my happiness to see the emergence of the DB project. As I am talking today, the DB project is working.
“We have received the helicopters, those are the two things left as at the last six months. I am glad to announce that we have received three helicopters’, we have assembled them, we are now test running the helicopters.
“We fixed a target of this April for the launching of these assets but I was made to understand that three are still under way. The Executive Secretary please plug your calendar for May 21, which is the new date for the formal launching of the DB project”, the NIMASA boss added
