The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, has launched a High Endurance Offshore Patrol Vessels (HE OPVs) for the Nigerian Navy at the Dearsan Shipyard, Tuzla in Istanbul, Turkey. This is contained in a statement by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, yesterday in Abuja. Ayo-Vaughan said the vessel is one of two 76m HE OPV awarded to be constructed by Dearsan Shipyard on November 3, 2021, while actual construction began on September 16, 2022. Ogall, said the vessels were meant to add to the fleet of the Nigerian Navy and enhance its capacity in the protection of Nigeria’s maritime domain.
He said: “Today’s ceremony is, therefore, a solemn one in which the ship is dedicated and committed to the sea, while also praying for blessings of good fortune for the ship, its crew and its passengers. “These ships when fully completed and commissioned into the Service of the NN, would complement and further sustain the efforts of the Fleet in ensuring naval presence at sea. “This would help to curb the menace of oil theft and other illegalities in Nigeria’s maritime environment in particular and the Gulf of Guinea in general.
“Additionally, the OPV would assist the NN in managing Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone, including provision of maritime security and effective disaster relief,” he said. Ogalla thanked President Bola Tinubu for his support to the project and commitment to the recapitalisation of the NN Fleet. He said the Federal Government was committed to its obligations towards the successful completion of the two OPVs.
