Given that the blue economy is centered on trade and actions around large bodies of water ranging from rivers to oceans, Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that the recently commemorated 2021 World Hydrography Day provided ample opportunity to highlight the import of hydrography to the project and the Nigerian Navy’s role in actualising it
The blue or marine economy is the ecosystem of economic activities centred on trade and actions around large bodies of water ranging from rivers to oceans. When this is managed effectively, it yields better dividends given that over 90 per cent of the world’s trade is conducted by the sea, and this is by far, the most cost-effective way to move large quantity of goods and raw materials around the world.
Over the years, the capacity of the Nigerian Navy to conduct hydrographic survey that would assure safety of naval and merchant traffic at sea was significantly hampered by the absence of a hydrographic ship in its fleet. To address this gap, Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that the newly acquired hydrographic vessel, NNS LANA, a first ever purpose-built Offshore Survey Vessel, is geared to provide and improve reliable hydrographic data and information as a critical component in the projection of naval power for enhanced maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea
Any force is only as good as its military equipment and for the Nigerian Navy (NN), its platforms. This is because in protecting the domestic and even external territorial integrity, aggressive fleet recapitalisation strategy must be enabled. Firm believers of this ideology, the NN recently boosted its fleet by taking delivery of its first ever purpose-built Offshore Survey Vessel, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) LANA, from Saint Nazaire, F