Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA) Executive Director Dr. Daniel B. KaitibiThe Sierra Leone Maritime Administration is advancing legislative reform while securing international partnerships, updating hydrographic data, and expanding enforcement capacity to align its maritime system with global standards and increase vessel traffic.
The Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA) defines the legal conditions under which ships enter, operate, and exit Sierra Leone’s waters. It determines which vessels carry the national flag, which foreign ships are admitted to ports, and which safety and environmental standards apply upon arrival.
These responsibilities are grounded in the Merchant Shipping Act of 2000 and the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration Act of 2003, which remain the sector’s core legal instruments.
The institution operates across three mandates that structure its role within the maritime system. “We register vessels under our Flag State function, which grants ships the legal identity required for international navigation,” says Executive Director Dr Daniel B. Kaitibi.
Currently, 576 vessels are registered under the Sierra Leone ship register, reflecting the scale of its flag administration. In parallel, the SLMA inspects foreign vessels under Port State control to verify compliance with global safety and pollution standards, while also regulating inland waterways and coastal transport within territorial boundaries.
Together, these functions position the administration at the centre of a system that depends on coordination across multiple institutions.
This framework is now being aligned with evolving international regulation. The International Maritime Organisation sets global conventions governing liability, safety, and environmental obligations. Sierra Leone has ratified close to 30 of these conventions and is advancing their incorporation into domestic law, reinforcing the legal foundation required for international maritime operations.
As vessels operating under such conventions require clear jurisdiction in the event of incidents, the SLMA is also establishing a maritime court to assign responsibility and adjudicate disputes within a structured legal system. Legislative reform underpins this transition.
The Merchant Shipping Act, the SLMA Act, the Marine Pollution Bill, and the Maritime Security Bill are all undergoing coordinated revision.
Parliament has already advanced the Merchant Shipping Act through its third reading, with passage expected to convert international conventions into enforceable domestic provisions.
To support this process, the SLMA has drawn on external expertise. The Liberian Maritime Authority, which manages the world’s largest shipping registry and holds a Category “A” seat on the IMO Council, deployed 12 senior officials, including eight legal specialists, to review Sierra Leone’s maritime laws.
“Their technical revisions have been integrated into draft legislation submitted for parliamentary approval,” notes Dr Kaitibi.
Current port activity provides a baseline for measuring progress. Approximately 500 vessels call at Sierra Leone’s ports each year,” he says, linking future growth in traffic to the enforcement of internationally recognised standards.
The SLMA is also extending its reach through bilateral cooperation. Agreements under development with the Philippine Maritime Authority and partners in Qatar will define vessel access, training systems, and certification pathways across jurisdictions. The Philippines’ arrangement introduces a reciprocal labour structure.
“Sierra Leonean seafarers will work on vessels connected to Philippine operators, while Philippine seafarers will access vessels under Sierra Leone’s registry,” Dr Kaitibi explains.
This framework integrates certification, employment pathways, and vessel operations, while supporting Sierra Leone’s efforts to meet IMO requirements for inclusion on the allowlist, which determines whether seafarers are recognised for international employment.
Alongside regulatory reform, the administration is updating critical maritime infrastructure. Working with the UK Hydrographic Office and the International Hydrographic Organisation, the SLMA is modernising Sierra Leone’s hydrographic survey, which dates back to the 19th century.
The new charts reflect current coastal conditions and introduce updated operational data, identifying previously unrecorded hazards and integrating newly recognised port locations to define navigation routes before vessels enter national waters. Operational capacity is expanding in parallel.
Through a program with the United Nations Development Programme, the SLMA is receiving support for legislative review, surveillance drones, and the construction of two search-and-rescue centres. In 2025 alone, the administration distributed 3,150 life jackets across riverine communities, improving waterway safety, protecting users, and reducing drowning risks in areas where monitoring remains limited. These efforts are being integrated into a broader system that combines vessels and aerial surveillance to track activity across coastal and inland zones and enforce compliance with national regulations.
Taken together, these initiatives form a single, coordinated transition. The SLMA is converting international conventions into domestic law, aligning certification systems with global standards, updating navigational data, and strengthening enforcement
capacity across its jurisdiction, positioning Sierra Leone’s maritime sector within an increasingly integrated global framework.
Credit: Forbes Africa
