Views: Visits 7 Sets to tackle piracy on Nigerian waters By Godwin Oritse AS the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, took delivery of the last batch of the Deep Blue Project equipment last week, the agency said it is now set to take on the criminals terrorizing the nation’s territorial and coastal waters. The equipment which includes a Special Mission Aircraft, was received and installed to secure Nigerian waters up to the Gulf of Guinea, GoG. In a statement signed by the Head of Public Relations, Mr. Philip Kyanet, Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, and other officials of the agency inspected three Special Mission Helicopters at the Naval Base, Apapa, under the project billed for launch on May 21.
Apapa, Brass, Bonny Island, high-risk waters – Report
Published 6 May 2021
The International Maritime Bureau says the Gulf of Guinea remains the world’s piracy hotspot. It said this in its Q1 2021 report.
The report also listed Apapa in Lagos, Brass in Bayelsa and Bonny Island in Port-Harcourt as high-risk waterways.
The report said, “Nigeria (Lagos-Apapa, Off Bayelsa-Brass, and Bonny Island-Port Harcourt): Pirates/robbers are often well armed and violent.
“They have attacked, hijacked, robbed ships and kidnapped crews along far from the coast rivers, anchorages ports, and surrounding waters.
“Incidents have also been reported up to about 200 nautical miles from the coast. Generally, all waters in or off Nigeria remain highly risky.
He said:
“COVID-19 has allowed our people to be more engaged. At the beginning of the lockdown, expatriates left Nigeria as they had to return to their countries and they have not returned till now. That means Nigerians have to step in their shoes. Since then a lot of Nigerians are more engaged in the decision making in the sector.”
What you should know
A significant number of expatriates in Nigeria pre-covid oversaw some of the country’s biggest companies. They played such roles as Chief Executive Officers, Chief Operating Officers, Chief Financial Officers, and more. Interestingly, they are not all Europeans and Americans.
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THE New Year celebration started on a sour note in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) when dare-devil pirates killed four armed guards and kidnapped two Russians and one Indian aboard a Nigerian-flagged Hopper dredger, Ambika on January 2, 2020. The 2,153 Gross Tonnage Ambika was attacked as she was navigating three nautical miles from the mouth of the Ramos River which is just nine nautical miles east of the Forcados Terminal in Nigerian waters.
Deep Blue Project
With insecurity rearing its ugly head very early in the year on Nigeria’s waterways, the Federal Government, in February, at a press briefing, announced that it will soon be deploying its integrated maritime security infrastructure.