The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has unveiled a new Public-Private Partnership model aimed at cutting carbon emissions across the nation’s maritime sector. The initiative, known as the Nigerian Maritime Continuous Emissions Monitoring System, was showcased at the 2025 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 30) in Balem, Brazil.
The disclosure was made in a statement issued on Sunday by the Deputy Director and Head of Public Relations at NIMASA, Osagie Edward. He explained that the agency presented the project during a side event it hosted at the global climate conference. According to the agency, the initiative demonstrates Nigeria’s dedication to supporting the International Maritime Organisation’s energy transition strategies by adopting digital innovations that will help track and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the maritime industry.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, noted that the agency has remained consistent in promoting energy transition within the maritime sector. Mobereola, who was represented by the Director of Marine Environment Management at NIMASA, Dr. Oma Ofodile, said the launch of the emissions monitoring system is a major step forward in the country’s effort to build a low-carbon shipping industry.
He recalled that Nigeria began pushing for continental collaboration during COP 28, where NIMASA introduced the idea of forming an African Coalition to achieve the IMO’s greenhouse gas reduction targets. By COP 29, the agency had brought together international experts to discuss ways to create a verifiable maritime emissions inventory for Nigeria. That effort was carried out in partnership with researchers from University College London, who helped Nigeria demonstrate its readiness to transition to a cleaner maritime sector.
“At COP 30 this year, NIMASA formally presented the Nigerian Maritime Continuous Emissions Monitoring System, developed in collaboration with a team of researchers from UCL, and actively discussed tangible efforts of the agency in advancing the IMO energy transition strategies,” Mobereola said.
Also speaking at the event, a representative of the IMO Secretary-General, Mr. Roel Hoeders, praised NIMASA for organising the session. He said the initiative provides a strategic pathway for African countries to understand and tackle the challenges associated with shipping energy transition.
The side event featured contributions from experts drawn from IMO, University College London, the maritime administrations of Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania, and representatives from Lagos State’s Ministry of Planning and Budget, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, and the Nigerian Ports Authority. The gathering focused on how developing countries, especially in Africa, can adopt clean-energy solutions in shipping.
One of the major expectations for COP 30 is an agreement on indicators for tracking progress under the Global Goal on Adaptation. This goal was established in the Paris Agreement, and global negotiators are working to select about 100 indicators linked to the 11 targets contained in the 2023 GGA Framework. These indicators are expected to help countries measure climate resilience in a more structured way.
The IMO has repeatedly stressed that the shipping sector contributes significantly to the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. In 2018 alone, international shipping accounted for about 2.9 per cent of global CO₂ emissions. Over the years, the IMO has introduced several measures to cut emissions. One of the earliest steps came in 2011 when the agency adopted mandatory efficiency standards under MARPOL Annex VI, including the Energy Efficiency Design Index for new vessels and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan for all ships. In 2016, the IMO also set up a fuel-consumption data collection system for ships weighing over 5,000 gross tonnes.
With the unveiling of the Nigerian Maritime Continuous Emissions Monitoring System, NIMASA is positioning Nigeria as one of the African leaders in maritime decarbonisation. The agency believes the new digital platform will support transparency, strengthen policy implementation, and give the country more accurate data to guide its clean-energy transition in maritime operations.
