Today the Nigerian Government, through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency ( NIMASA) makes history as President Mohammadu Buhari launches the acquired equipment for the Deep Blue Project, which was initiated by the Federal Ministry of Transportation.
The main objective of the Deep Blue project is to secure Nigerian waters up to the Gulf of Guinea. The project has three categories of platforms to tackle maritime security on Land, Sea, and Air.
The Land assets includes the Command, Control, Communication, Computer, and Intelligence Centre (C4i) for intelligence gathering and data collection. The equipment and facilities includes 16 Armoured Vehicles for Coastal patrol and 600 Specially Trained Troops for interdiction, known as Maritime Security Unit. The Sea assets includes, Two Special Mission Vessels and 17 Fast Interceptor Boats. While the Air assets comprises of two Special Mission Aircraft for surveillance of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Three Special Mission Helicopters for Search and Rescue operations and Four Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
The Deep Blue Project is the first integrated maritime security strategy in West and Central Africa with the aim of tackling the incidences of piracy, sea robbery, and other crimes at sea.
