The Cross River State Government is enhancing collaboration and partnership with marine transport operators to ensure security and safety on the state waterways.
The emphasis was made during an interface and facility visit to Abitto Ferry Logistics at the Marina Resort, Calabar by the State Security Adviser (South), Navy Commander Patrick Odiong (rtd), alongside the Special Adviser on Marine Services, Otu Ita.
According to Odiong, the visit is in line with the state security policy and the directive of the State Governor to ensure the security of the waterways.
He said the governor had mandated that all marine operators within the southern senatorial districts should be censored and partner with the government to enhance security plans to strengthen their daily operations.
The security aide assured that nothing had been taken for granted and the state remained uncomfortable with criminals, sea militants, or kidnappers on the state waterways.
According to him, the aim is to make the waterways friendly for investors and investments, especially as the state is working on the Bakassi Deep Seaport project.
“In that light, we came to Abitto Services to understand their security plan and challenges mainly as they transit passengers from Calabar to Akwa Ibom State,” he said.
Odiong restated thebstate government’s readiness to partner with them to enhance safe waterways for their business.
Similarly, the Special Adviser on Marine Services, Captain Otu Ita, re-echoed the need for marine transporters to observe security and safety standards in line with ISO provisions and ensure a good communication system at all times.
“We are here on an on the spot assessment to evaluate how they (Abitto Ferry) carry out their operations in terms of security and safety,” he said.
“Water transportation is important to Cross River State, and we want to ensure operators are up and doing, maintaining the international safety standards of ISO 2010 edition, ensuring the life jackets, profiling of the passengers through the manifest to checkmate the bad elements taking advantage to carry out their nefarious activities on our waterways that we don’t want,” Ita said.
By Dianabasi Effiong
