SLPHA HOSTS ABUJA MoU PORT STATE CONTROL PRACTICAL EXERCISE

The Sierra Leone Ports and Harbours Authority (SLPHA) played host to a specialized simulation exercise on Thursday 22nd October, 2026, during which trainees from the Abuja MoU Port State Control cohorts carried out inspections of tankers and bulk carriers at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay.
To support the practical training, the Authority provided the venue as well as two vessels.
The Deputy Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA), Ing. Emmanuel B.A Lansana, expressed deep gratitude to the SLPHA Management for their assistance, even though the request to visit was made at short notice. Ing.
Lansana pointed out that without a hands-on session, the trainees’ earlier training would not have been complete. “Thanks to the strong relationship we share with the SLPHA, we have been warmly received here for our practical sessions, and we are thankful,” he said.
In his remarks, the Secretary General of the Abuja MoU Port State Control, Captain Sunday Umoren, also expressed appreciation to the SLPHA Management for welcoming their delegation of forty people on such short notice.
Captain Umoren explained that the Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for the West and Central African Region (Abuja MoU) training is part of the Abuja MoU’s wider capacity building efforts aimed at improving maritime safety and inspection standards across member states.
He revealed that their core mission is to prevent substandard ships, in line with the #IMO requirement, from sailing the seas and causing loss of life or environmental pollution, adding that they work to ensure everything is carried out properly.
He further noted that they also work to safeguard port facilities from faulty tanker terminals that could trigger explosions capable of destroying an entire facility.