The oil vessel, MT ALIMAS
* Reassures of agency’s 24 hour distress calls response readiness
By Ike Megbu, Lekki
Seven persons who sent a distress call to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NMASA, have been rescued.
The distress call, according to a statement issued by the Agency’s spokesman, Osagie Edward, came from the Safety Officer on MT ALIMAS which indicated that while cleaning the tanks of the vessel by a private cleaning company, eight cleaners developed complications due to insufficient oxygen available in the tank to sustain them.
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The statement said that the Director General of the agency, Dr. Bashir Jamoh immediately directed the NIMASA Head of the Deep Blue project and Head of the Maritime Safety Department to deploy one of the fast intervention boats for rescue operations and to seek immediate medical attention to the survivors.
It said that the seven survivors were taken to the military hospital at Ikoyi for medical attention, where they are presently recovering, adding that five of them are now stable, with one of them sustaining broken leg and one still in critical condition.
While reassuring the maritime community of NIMASA’s ever-ready 24-hour vigilance to respond to distress calls using any of the procured air, land and sea assets, Dr. Jamoh advised operators to be meticulous about basic safety standards at all times.
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The Director General also advised that those working on board vessels should update themselves with required training in consonance with Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) and in line with the revised Manila Convention.
He thanked the rescue team for the operation and urged them to keep the maritime tradition of round-the-clock watchkeeping and timely response at all times.
