In a strategic move to tackle the growing menace of oil theft and other maritime crimes within the country’s territorial waters, the Nigerian Navy has deployed ten elite warships for a specialised sea exercise.
The exercise, dubbed ‘Sea Guard 2024,’ was officially launched on Thursday in Onne, Rivers State, by Rear Admiral Saheed Akinwande, the Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command.
During the flag-off event, Rear Admiral Akinwande elaborated on the ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to combat various maritime crimes, including oil theft, sea robbery, sea piracy, and illegal foreign fishing.
He highlighted that, despite significant successes in these battles over the years, these criminal activities have persisted, severely undermining economic activities in Nigeria.
“The consequences of this prevailing insecurity prompted the Central Naval Command (CNC) and Eastern Naval Command (ENC) to initiate a joint, coordinated, and decisive action,” Akinwande stated.
He emphasised that the primary objective of “Exercise Sea Guard 2024” is to deny criminals and economic saboteurs any freedom of action, thus ensuring the security of the nation’s maritime environment.
Akinwande warned, “Although maritime insecurity persists on a low scale, the Nigerian Navy believes it could escalate if not deliberately addressed with a resolute stance.”
The exercise will see participation from ten warships, two helicopters, Maritime Domain Awareness assets, and naval special forces from both the CNC and ENC.
Scheduled to run from 26 to 28 September, the exercise aims to bolster the nation’s maritime security through a credible and sustained naval presence.
“This sea exercise aims to secure the nation’s maritime environment for national prosperity. It will also assess the operational readiness of assigned ships to conduct anti-piracy and anti-crude oil theft operations, emergency drills, and fleet manoeuvres,” Akinwande added.
The Nigerian Navy will conduct the drills within its territorial waters, ensuring robust coverage by both commands.
Rear Admiral Akinwande expressed optimism that the outcomes of this naval expedition would significantly contribute to Nigeria’s much-needed economic recovery, given the importance of the maritime space, which houses vast oil and gas reserves, aquatic resources, and supports the Blue Economy initiative.
“As such, the Nigerian Navy is doing everything within its mandate to eliminate all forms of threats within Nigeria’s maritime space,” he affirmed, reinforcing the commitment of the Navy to securing the nation’s waters against criminal activities.
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