First Lady Remi Tinubu has hailed the launch of two new high-endurance offshore patrol vessels for the Nigerian Navy, stating they will significantly boost maritime security and drive economic prosperity through the blue economy.
Speaking at the launch ceremony in Turkey, Mrs Tinubu in a statement by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi highlighted the Tinubu administration’s commitment to revitalising the Nigerian Navy’s fleet as part of efforts to secure the nation’s territorial waters and harness the immense potential of its maritime resources.
The two newly launched 76-metre vessels, built by Turkish shipyard Dearsan, are expected to bolster the Navy’s capability to combat piracy, oil theft, illegal fishing and other maritime crimes in Nigeria’s offshore waters.
With their extended endurance and deployment range, the patrol ships will also aid in enforcing regulatory compliance and surveillance over Nigeria’s economic exclusion zone and the Gulf of Guinea.
The first lady commended Dearsan for its “high-quality shipbuilding capability” and expressed optimism that the launch marked the start of greater cooperation between Nigeria and Turkey in areas of defense and economic development.
In a statement, the director of Information, Naval Headquarters, Commodore Augustine Adams-Aliu added that the launch of the vessel marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s commitment to safeguarding her territorial waters and combating maritime threats.
Recall that the first OPV built by DEARSAN Shipyard was launched on October 26, 2023.
At the event, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla stated that the construction of the second OPV commenced in 2022.
“I am particularly pleased that the milestones on the vessel construction have been met and I hereby appreciate the management of DEARSAN Shipyard for their efforts so far,” he said.
The newly launched OPV has as its specifications, Length – 76.90m, Width – 11.90m, Draught – 3.60m, Speed – 28 knots, Propulsion System – Combined Diesel and Diesel (CODAD), Range – 2500nm, Endurance – 16 days and crew capacity – 47.
The statement said, “the construction of the vessel will boost NN fleet renewal efforts for fulfilment of her constitutional mandate and ensure maximum presence at sea to curb illicit acts such as oil theft, piracy, sea robbery, illegal fishery as well as smuggling of small arms and light weapons among other crimes in the vast 84,000sqnm of Nigeria’s maritime environment. It will also facilitate harnessing the enormous potentials within Nigeria’s maritime domain in support of FG’s Blue Economy initiatives.”
The Naval Chief thanked President Bola Tinubu for his support towards ensuring the completion of the construction of the OPVs and his commitment to NN fleet renewal aspirations
The launch was witnessed by the minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle; the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla; the Charge D’Affair Nigerian Embassy Turkey, Ambassador Zayyad Abdulsalam and other dignitaries.
