Considering the rising costs of operations and shipping insurance on Nigerian vessels by international insurance groups, the Federal Government has called on major insurance companies around the world and Lloyd of London to stop the collection of the War Risk Insurance (WRI) premium on Nigeria bound cargoes. Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the third batch of the Maritime Security Unit, Technicians and Mechanics of Unarmed Area Vehicles, Armoured Personnel Carriers of the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also known as the Deep Blue Project, held in Portharcourt, Rivers State, over the weekend, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, said Nigeria has done so much to stamp out piracy on its territorial waters and the Gulf of Guinea. According to him, Nigeria is deserving of the international insurance companies consideration of a removal of the war risk insurance from vessels and good destined for Nigeria. The NIMASA boss further disclosed that since inception of the deep blue project, Nigeria has maintained a zero pirate attack, adding that the two recent pirate incidents on the Nigerian waters were unsuccessful.
