FGN COMMISSIONS DEEP BLUE SEA PROJECT. ….. Facility will enhance suppression of Piracy- PMB

Oru Leonard

The Federal Government of Nigeria has gained shown determination to secure the nation’s waters up to the Gulf of Guinea by commissioning state of the art security equipment for its deep blue sea project in  the project in Lagos on Thursday, June 10, 2021.

The Project has put Nigeria in the fore front of history as it is the first integrated maritime security strategy in West and Central Africa with the aim of tackling the incidences of piracy, sea robbery, and other crimes at sea.

In his remarks during the launching of the project which was commissioned to tackle maritime security on Land, Sea, and Air, President Muhammadu Buhari said it would set an example for other countries in the gulf of Guinea to secure their territorial waters.

“This assemblage of maritime security assets is coming at a critical time when global discussions are centred on piracy activities and a new dimension to tackle the menace in the Gulf of Guinea region.

“I am confident that this facility will enhance our maritime domain and lead to the furtherance of the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offenses (SPOMO) Act, 2019.

“Also, this would serve as a bench mark to other states and relevant agencies in the GoG to develop and align efforts towards improving security in the region”, he said.

Minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi said the project would prepare Nigeria for a post oil economy outside securing its territorial waters.

“The project is about Nigeria’s ability to secure its territorial waters by extending its sovereignty to protect its maritime domain in the GoG.

“With the Deep Blue Project, the takeover of the Secure Anchorage Area (SAA) and the SPOMO Act, the security of the Nigeria’s maritime environment is largely guaranteed”, the Minister said.

Land assets includes the Command, Control, Communication, Computer, and Intelligence Centre (C4i) for intelligence gathering and data collection. The equipment and facilities includes 16 Armoured Vehicles for Coastal patrol and 600 Specially Trained Troops for interdiction, known as Maritime Security Unit. The Sea assets includes, Two Special Mission Vessels and 17 Fast Interceptor Boats. While the Air assets comprises of two Special Mission Aircraft for surveillance of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Three Special Mission Helicopters for Search and Rescue operations and Four Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.