NN Week Celebration 2022: Picture highlights for International Maritime Conference at Onne, Port Harcourt.

NN Week Celebration 2022: Picture highlights for International Maritime Conference with the theme, “Optimising Collaboration for Maritime Security and Socio-Economic Development in Africa”; which held at Onne, Port Harcourt.

The International Maritime Conference 2022 featured a meeting of African Naval Chiefs and Maritime Security experts to interrogate and agree on proposed modalities for fulfilling the requirements of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) Communique 1012, in support of the 2050 African Integrated Maritime Strategy.

Essentially, the Conference seeks to look again at the Communique 1012 which was to establish Combined Maritime Task Forces among the navies of the GoG states and those along the Eastern/Southern coastlines as well as a Continental Maritime Advisory Council to be composed of the Heads of Navies and Coast Guards. For this reason, delegates to this year’s conference are not limited to GoG states only but also those of Eastern and Southern African nations.

 

 

 

EXERCISE OBANGAME EXPRESS 2022 FLAG-OFF!

On Friday March 11, 2022, there was an official flag-off ceremony of Exercise OBANGAME EXPRESS held onboard NNS Thunder. This year’s exercise witnessed participants from about 32 countries onboard their various war ships within their country’s area of responsibilities.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu-Gambo, flagged off this 2022 Exercise Obangame Express. The exercise is aimed at improving security between Gulf of Guinea navies and allied friends.

Vice Admiral, Zubairu-Gambo said the exercise is designed to “improve regional collaboration through joint operations, intelligence sharing and harmonized legal framework to enhance collective capabilities of Gulf of Guinea nations against maritime crime”.

The Chief of Naval Staff, in his address during the flag-off onboard Nigerian Navy Ship Thunder at Onne Jetty, in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State disclosed that the Navy will deploy ten ships, two helicopters as well as elements of Special Boat Service (SBS) for the exercise. Furthermore, the Chief of Naval Staff commended United States Government through the US Africa Command and other International partners for facilitating and sustaining the exercise.