By Olusegun Olanrewaju
Seafarers visiting Nigeria’s seaports do not have to fear anymore because of the safety warfare mantra now revving the nation’s naval policy.
This is the crux of a presentation by the nation’s Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, during his keynote address at the 10th edition the of SECURETEX West Africa conference and exhibition held at Landmark Event Centre on Victoria Island, Lagos, last week, organised by Afrocet Montgomery Exhibitions and Events Ltd, part of the London-based Montgomery Group.
With the overall theme of: “Reconnect With West Africa’s Security, Fire, Safety and Building Management Supply Chains”, the CNS noted at the forum that seafarers now feel more secure while at the ports, as a result of the presence of the Nigerian Navy.
Speaking after the Regional Director of Afrocet Montgomery, George Pearson had outlaid the objective of the exhibition to include looking into how companies can prepare for cybersecurity emergencies and drafting measures to protect their businesses, the CNS’ lecture was entitled, “Protecting Critical National Infrastructure: Tackling Maritime Crimes; Protecting Nigeria’s Ports”.
Gambo’s address dwelt on the fact that the navy’s efforts in keeping the maritime domain secure have recorded tremendous results, including boosting the confidence of seafarers whose vessels call at the seaports in Nigeria.
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At the three-day event, the naval chief noted that the presence of Nigerian Navy (NN) ships also serves as a deterrence to criminal elements.
He said, “It is worthy to note that feelers from foreign ships transiting or berthed at these ports revealed that seafarers feel more secure at these ports with the presence of NN ships.”
Gambo disclosed that the navy has increased its patrols around port facilities, as part of efforts to ensure a safe and secure environment for seafarers, while they carry out their duties.
“Furthermore, NN bases regularly conduct boat patrols around port facilities within their jurisdiction, as well as escort merchant vessels in and out of harbours,” he added.
According to him, “Notably, NN has been involved in the arrest of several stowaways, especially in Apapa Ports and Harbour. All these efforts are geared towards providing a safe and secure environment for seafarers in various port facilities across the nation.”
Earlier in his presentation, Gambo had noted that threats to ports, such as trafficking, arms, and drugs smuggling, as well as theft, were not peculiar to Nigeria alone, but everywhere else as a result of the growth of shipping and globalisation of container business.
He added that, even at ports, “The threat of terrorism cannot also be discarded.”
Gambo stressed that to mitigate the maritime security situation within approaches to Lagos Harbour and adjoining port facilities, the Secured Anchorage Area was established in 2012. The initiative, he noted, was led by the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), in conjunction with other stakeholders and the Nigerian Navy.
“However, recent concerns raised over the use of Private Maritime Logistics Support Company platforms for the security of the anchorage necessitated the need to employ a viable and sustainable alternative to secure the Anchorage Area.
“Accordingly, the NN secures the area using the Special Boat Service to conduct patrols and boarding of vessels within the area. This initiative has tremendously assuaged the security situation in the approaches to Lagos Harbour and by extension the Port facilities,” the CNS said.
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Gambo pledged the navy’s commitment to collaborating with international organisations and navies, towards protecting the nation’s maritime corridor.
He also promised more concerted efforts to ensure effective security measures to repel criminalities rooted in oil theft, banditry, trafficking, and vandalism, among others.
He lamented the perennial scope of oil piracy and banditry in the country, saying, by the last count, and over five weeks, the Nigerian Navy had apprehended over 176 vessels laden with varying quantities of stolen products.
The CNS began the real presentation by noting that the global maritime commons have remained a veritable medium for sustained growth, development, and prosperity amongst both littoral and land-linked nations in the 21st Century.
He noted that the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), being one of the most strategic sea lanes of communication to the global economy because of its enormous potential in hydrocarbon, fisheries, and other resources for exploration and exploitation, presently hosts an estimated nine million barrels of oil produced daily in Africa.
According to him, the GoG is responsible for about 4.5 million of the production, representing 11 per cent of world production. But despite the aforementioned prospects of the maritime environment, he added, frequent abuse of the domain through illicit activities of local and foreign collaborators has continued to elicit concerns from different quarters.
The need for intelligence gathering, he noted, has greatly succeeded in reducing incidents of piracy at sea, which necessitates the need for swift response of the navy to illegal activities at sea, which has reduced the rate of successful attacks in Nigeria’s maritime domain.
He said many piracy/kidnappings are now being perpetrated in neighbouring countries, and as far as 100 to 200nm off the coast, even though the perpetrators are alleged to be mostly Nigerians.
“It is, therefore, necessary to extend NN operations in support of anti-piracy efforts to neighbouring nation’s waters. This places an additional burden on Nigeria, and the NN as more ships and logistics are required for these extended and prolonged patrols.”
Gambo highlighted some efforts by the Nigerian Navy to protect critical maritime infrastructure and mitigate maritime crimes.
On curtailing maritime threats, he said some residues remained sore points to be addressed.
He spoke on independent operations established to check criminality at sea and to protect maritime infrastructure. Two of these operations, he disclosed, included the anti-piracy operation, Op TSARE TEKU, and the recently reinvigorated anti-crude oil theft and illegal refining operation, OP DAKATAR DA BARAWO.”
Due to dedicated naval operations, the CNS said the force had been activated to contain threats of piracy and related attacks on shipping, as well as oil and gas Installations. “Nigeria is no longer on the list of piracy-prone countries,” he proudly announced.
Within about five weeks of the operation, he noted, the Nigerian Navy had arrested 117 suspects and six vessels laden with various quantities of stolen petroleum products.
“Also, within the same period, 51 Illegal refining sites have been deactivated, 563 metal storage tanks crushed, and 341 dug-out pits destroyed. Furthermore, economic saboteurs were denied over 17,793,432 litres of crude oil, 5,490,670 litres of illegally-refined AGO, and 129,000 litres of DPK. These products are worth over N10.7bn,” he said.
The CNS also noted that, apart from the drain on national income, illegal refining results in massive environmental damage.
Gambo emphasised the need for effective policing and credible intelligence which led to the creation of a maritime crime investigation desk manned by trained personnel to ensure that the navy maintains credible intelligence on piracy and other related crimes.
He also spoke of further engagements between the navy and the International Police, which led to the acquisition of the Seek Avenger Biometric System for checking piracy and criminalities.
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The CNS stressed the need for increasing the exchange of critical information between regional maritime partners and stakeholders that would be critical for protecting national critical assets within the maritime domain.
He promised that Nigeria would continue to further strengthen discussions with domestic and regional partners regarding sustainable collaboration in information sharing, to guarantee the security of maritime installations within Nigeria’s maritime environment, and by extension, the GoG.
He said the navy recognises the centrality of collaboration with other maritime stakeholders and international maritime agencies towards successful maritime security operations. “We would need to go further to ensure a common network that would facilitate greater integration for seamless information sharing across the entire sub-region.”
On the challenges facing the navy, Gambo stated that despite efforts at checking maritime crimes, new challenges continue to unfold “due to the dynamic nature of criminals”.
“The intensity and transnational nature of maritime crimes within the region requires a more diligent record and data capturing the identity of perpetrators. Sadly, lack of adequate databases on identified criminals has allowed perpetrators of maritime crimes to relocate from one country to the other without being identified,” he said.
According to Gambo, “some persons who have been prosecuted for maritime crimes on completion of their jail terms have resumed their criminal activities in other countries unnoticed. This gap within the West African sub-region needs to be given more attention and addressed.
“Clearly, with improved databases and information sharing on persons prosecuted for maritime crimes, it would be easier to track and apprehend such persons, should they continue to live a life of crime.”
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He notes the inadequacy and limited presence of naval assets at sea even though the navy had, in recent years, renewed its fleet with new acquisitions with the support of President Muhammadu Buhari. “The fact remains that the ships are not enough to maintain a continuous presence as required to dominate maritime space.
“This inadequacy has resulted in information gaps making it difficult to acquire a holistic picture of the environment needed to share with relevant users. As part of efforts to overcome this challenge, the NN resorted to local shipbuilding efforts to increase the size of her fleet, which commenced in 2007.
“Currently, three Seaward Defence Boats have been constructed and commissioned at different times. Furthermore, the keel-laying ceremony for the construction of the Fourth and Fifth editions of the Seward Defence Boat was performed by Mr President last December.
“Other countries within the sub-region could leverage the NN’s shipbuilding efforts to expand their fleets to move at a common and consistent pace within the sub-region.
Gambo advised that it is instructive to state that since events at sea would always be driven by activities on land, it would be necessary to address issues of unemployment, poverty, and illiteracy, otherwise threats to critical infra, especially at sea could remain.
