Ten elite Nigerian Navy warships have been deployed to take part in a special sea exercise aimed at tackling oil theft and other maritime crimes in the nation\u2019s territorial waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rear Adm. Saheed Akinwande, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, disclosed this to journalists during the flag-off of Exercise \u2018Sea Guard 2024\u2019 on Thursday in Onne, Rivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He explained that the Federal Government had been combating oil theft, sea robbery, sea piracy, and illegal foreign fishing, among others, for years with several successes recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flag officer noted that despite concerted efforts to completely curb maritime threats, they had persisted and had significantly undermined economic activities in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe consequences of this prevailing insecurity prompted the Central Naval Command (CNC) and Eastern Naval Command (ENC) to initiate a joint, coordinated, and decisive action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis operation, tagged: Exercise Sea Guard 2024, aimed to deny criminals and economic saboteurs the freedom of action, thereby securing our maritime environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlthough maritime insecurity persists on a low scale, the Nigerian Navy believes it could escalate if not deliberately addressed with a resolute stance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Akinwande stated that 10 warships, two helicopters, Maritime Domain Awareness assets, and naval special forces drawn from the CNC and ENC would participate in the three-day exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis sea exercise, scheduled from Sept. 26 to 28, aims to secure the nation\u2019s maritime environment through a sustained credible presence at sea for national prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt will be used to assess the operational readiness of assigned ships in conducting evolutions such as, anti-piracy and anti-crude oil theft operations, emergency drills, and fleet manoeuvres,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He explained that the Nigerian Navy would conduct the drill within Nigeria\u2019s territorial waters under the CNC and ENC coverage areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The navy officer expressed confidence that the naval expedition would directly or indirectly contribute to the much-needed economic recovery of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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According to him, the nation\u2019s maritime space, with its vast oil and gas reserves, aquatic resources, and the Blue Economy initiative, remained a critical avenue for national prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs such, the Nigerian Navy is doing everything within its mandate to eliminate all forms of threats within Nigeria\u2019s maritime space,\u201d he said.\u00a0
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Ten elite Nigerian Navy warships have been deployed to take part in a special sea exercise aimed at tackling oil theft and other maritime crimes in the nation\u2019s territorial waters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_rishi_post_view_count":230},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","rishi-post"],"rishi__cb_customizer_meta":"","comments_count":"0","yoast_head":"\n