Nigeria will soon acquire two new offshore patrol vessels from Turkish company Dearsan Shipyard, two weeks after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Nigeria.
The deal is part of Turkey’s commitment to help Nigeria fight piracy in the Gulf of Guinea while also deepening the two nations’ bilateral relations.
“We are strengthening our cooperation on military defence and security issues with Nigeria, which is fighting against terrorist organizations, armed gangs and piracy,” said President Erdogan in Abuja last month.
The high endurance vessels will enable the navy to perform maritime interdiction operations, surveillance, special forces operations, conducting search and rescue operations, and many more. The ships are set to be delivered in 2024 for immediate deployment.
Vice Adm Awwal Gambo, Nigeria’s Chief of the Naval Staff, said the 250-foot vessels would also have the capability to be equipped with sensors and weapons for warfare and defence purposes.
“The Nigerian Navy has proved its dominant status in the region by sustaining an aggressive presence in the nation’s maritime environment, leading to a reduction in acts of criminality,” said Adm Gambo.
The International Maritime Bureau’s latest global piracy report shows that the Gulf of Guinea region recorded 28 incidents of piracy and armed in the first nine months of 2021, only four of which were reported by Nigeria, which is an all-time low.
Turkey and Nigeria also plan to double their trade and investment in the course of the next few years.
