Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Infrastructure in Nigerian-Critical Evaluation and Assessment

Abstract

The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is the technical, operational and administrative structure for maritime distress and safety communications worldwide. It was established in 1988 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) which adopted a revised text of Chapter IV of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, (SOLAS) — dealing with Radio communications — and was implemented globally between 1992 and 1997. GMDSS establishes the radio communications equipment that ships are required to carry, how this equipment shall be maintained and how it is used, and provides the context within which governments should establish the appropriate shore-based facilities to support GMDSS communications. Nigeria, as a maritime nation and as a member of the IMO, has domesticated the SOLAS Convention; and therefore, should establish, like other maritime nations, a robust GMDSS system to enhance maritime safety and environmental protection. This paper evaluates GMDSS infrastructure and how effective they have been put into use to provide effective GMDSS services in Nigeria. The research revealed that Nigeria has only one operational INMARSAT LES (B) Coast Station, two planned/proposed NAVTEX MSI Broadcast Stations at Lagos and Oron, and two operational COSPAS-SARSAT MCC and LUT Stations located in NEMA headquarters in Abuja. The Antennas for the planned stations are to be positioned on 06⁰23’.99N, 003⁰22’.91E for the Lagos station and 04⁰48’.01N, 008⁰15’.34E for the Oron station. Both are expected to have a range of 250NM. This is in clear contrast to provisions of the SOLAS convention to which Nigeria is a signatory. The research, therefore, recommends that urgent and appropriate steps be taken to establish a robust GMDSS system in the country to stem the tide of maritime insecurity and environmental degradation in Nigeria’s territorial waters and in the Gulf of Guinea; even as this could serve as a veritable revenue generation source to the country.