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The Nigerian Navy said on Saturday that no incidences of piracy have occurred within the Nigerian Maritime Environment (NME), assuring that the area is safe for all forms of maritime and economic activities.
The navy further stated that it would continue to sustain credible presence at sea in such a manner that the activities of pirates will not only be deterred, but would ensure that any form of criminality is curtailed.
According to the Director of Information, (DINFO) Commodore Ayo-Vaughan in a press statement observed that in reaction to the recent spike in piracy incidents in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), the Nigerian Navy (NN) has sustained its presence of her capital ships at sea as well as directed operational bases to ensure they dominate their Areas of Operations.
Commodore Vaughan further disclosed that the force have deployed her surveillance infrastructure to monitor shipping activities within the nation’s maritime environment and would continue to exploit intelligence to track the activities of criminals in order to maintain sanctity of the Nigerian Maritime Environment (NME).
Revealing that the spate of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) within the last 10 years have reduced to an all time low in 2022, the force will not relent in its strides to keep the Economic Exclusive Zone free from any form of attacks by pirates.
Commodore Ayo-Vaughan noted that concerted efforts are being made to reduce piracy within the GoG to its lowest barest minimum despite the two unfortunate incidences recorded within the GoG in the last three weeks.
“The first incident which involved the hijack of Motor Tanker (MT) MONJASA REFORMER occurred on 25th March 2023 at a location144 nautical mile (nm) West-South-West (WSW) of Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo.
“It was later discovered that the pirates abducted six crew members from the vessel. The second incident involved the hijack of MT SUCCESS-9 about 306 nm SW of Abidjan Fairway Buoy (FWB), Cote d’Ivoire on 10 April 2023.” he revealed.
He stressed that, the Nigerian Navy vectored Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) GONGOLA to rendezvous MT MONJASA REFORMER in company of NNS KANO and a French Warship to escort the vessel to Lome, Togo.
The Nigerian Navy, therefore, enjoins all seafarers to continue to carry out their legitimate businesses without fear, adding that, in securing the NME and GoG in general, the Nigerian Navy appreciates the efforts of international partners under the Coordinated Maritime Presence arrangement as well as the support of other maritime stakeholders that played other roles in the collective security of the GoG.
