The Nigerian Navy has signed a contract with Turkish company, Messrs Dearsan Shipyard Limited, for the purchase of two new offshore patrol vessels.

The vessels are expected to be completed within 37 months.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, recalled that the Nigerian Navy in the last couple of months brought to bear its dominant status in the region by sustaining an aggressive presence in the nation’s maritime environment, leading to a reduction in acts of criminality.

This development, he said, has been acknowledged by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in its Global Piracy Report of July 14, 2021, indicating the lowest total of piracy and armed attacks against ships in 27 years.

According to the CNS, this report was corroborated by the Defence Web maritime security report of October 15, 2021, which noted a further decline in reported cases of piracy and armed attacks against shipping in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), a development he attributed to the impact of the Nigerian Navy maritime security operations efforts.

Gambo stated that the contract signing was another milestone by the Navy in fleet renewal effort towards realising its 2021-2030 Strategic Plan.

While responding, Chief Executive Officer of Messrs Dearsan Shipyard, Mr. Murat Gordi appreciated the Nigerian Navy and the Federal Government for the confidence placed on the company to construct the offshore patrol vessels.

He assured that the firm would build the best in a class vessel for the Nigerian Navy and ensure the contract is faithfully executed to deliver value for money.

MEANWHILE, Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, has disclosed that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is set to align with the initiative for Global Air Forces on climate change.

He stated this when he paid a courtesy call on Royal Air Force (RAF) Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston at his office in London.

According to Amao, the need for NAF to devise means of conserving energy and take preemptive measures to safeguard military hardware and equipment against the effect of climate change is imperative.

He added that NAF will soon commence the implementation of projects to power NAF bases nationwide, while also undertaking research and development on synthetic fuels and electric support equipment.