NIMASSA ramps up effort to sustain gains against sea piracy
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
More kit for greater maritime security has been acquired by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for its “Deep Blue’’ project to banish all illegal activities or at least reduce them around the country’s waters.
The latest arsenal include two unmanned aircraft systems, nine interceptor patrol boats, and 10 armoured vehicles.
Land equipment include Command, Control, Communication, Computer, and Intelligence Centre (CCCCIC) for intelligence gathering and data collection.
They also include 16 armoured vehicles for coastal patrol and 600 specially-trained troops for the Maritime Security Unit to carry out interdiction.
Before the new equipment were procured, the Deep Blue project had two Special Mission Vessels and 17 Fast Interceptor Boats.
The air assets include
- Two Special Mission Aircraft for surveillance of Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
- Three Special Mission helicopters for search-and-rescue operations
- Four Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
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Improving on gains against sea piracy
NIMASA Director General Bashir Jamoh explained in a statement issued in Lagos that the additional equipment would improve on the gains in securing the Gulf of Guinea, and further push against piracy and other maritime crimes.
“These newly-procured assets will assist us in building on the gains already recorded in the fight against piracy, sea robbery, oil theft, kidnapping, and illegal fishing, among others.
“Nigeria is improving on her capacity to fight maritime crime by procuring state-of-technology equipment and upgrading human capacity for effective service delivery,” he said, per the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), published by The Nation.
“It is also deploying assets for round-the-clock patrol, interdiction and reconnaissance with the support of the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies with which we signed Memoranda of Understanding.”
Jamoh described the recent Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum in Abuja as a success in rallying international support for maritime security, and gave an assurance that Nigeria’s commitment to it would be sustained.
He said the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act emplaced by Nigeria is a robust statute supporting maritime law enforcement which other countries are considering replicating
Deep Blue project has three platforms of land, sea, and air to secure Nigerian waters up to the Gulf of Guinea.
