The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is the apex regulatory and promotional maritime agency. The Agency was created from the merger of National Maritime Authority and Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council (former parastatals of the Federal Ministry of Transport) on the 1st August 2006. The obligation of regulating the Maritime industry in Nigeria rests on the Agency through the relevant instruments :-
i. Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency Act. 2007.
ii. Merchant Shipping Act. 2007.
iii. Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act 2003
The Agency was established primarily for the administration of Maritime Safety Seafarers Standards and Security, Maritime Labour, Shipping Regulation, Promotion of Commercial Shipping and Cobatage activities, Pollution Prevention and Control in the marine environment, the Agency also implements domesticated International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions.