The Nigerian Navy said three helicopters; nine ships and multipurpose assault boats were deployed for a special sea inspection to showcase its combat readiness in safeguarding the nation\u2019s economic assets across the territorial waters.
The Navy said the annual exercise will also prepare its officers and men for the effective security of the country\u2019s maritime interests.
The exercise being carried out by the Eastern Naval Command, code-named \u2018Ex Din Mingi\u2019 meaning \u2018safe waters\u2019 in Ibani language (in Rivers State), was flagged off by the Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Chiedozie Okehie at the Nigerian Navy Ship SHERE in Onne, Rivers State.
Speaking, Okehie noted that \u2018Ex Din Mingi\u2019 Ex DIN MINGI\u2019 represents the Nigerian Navy\u2019s four pillars of Professionalism, Operational Readiness, Welfare and Inter-Agency collaboration.
The three-day exercise, which began on Tuesday with the theme \u2018Protecting Critical Infrastructure Through Inter-Agency Collaboration\u2019, also employs several multipurpose assault facilities from the Nigerian Army, the Air Force and the Navy.
Okehie stated, \u201cIn all, nine ships of different classes, helicopters both from the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force, Epsilon EP55 UAV, as well as multipurpose assault boats from the NA and NN will be deployed for the Exercise.
\u201cOf particular note is the opposed boarding of a purportedly hijacked LNG vessel, an evolution that takes cognisance of the unique nature of vessels conveying Liquefied Natural Gas and specialised skills required to neutralise threats without compromising vessel safety and integrity.
\u201cIn addition, some officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency will embark to assist in identifying psychoactive substances on a suspected ship as part of efforts to foster collaboration.\u201d
He continued, \u201cThe exercise is to assess operational readiness of Eastern fleet, display a multi-agency and multi-dimensional approach by deploying platforms, including air assets, to deny criminal elements freedom of action.\u201d
On the impact of previous exercises, Rear Admiral Okehie said, apart from enhancing the force capabilities to face real events in the maritime space, it fosters inter-agency collaboration and harmonisation.
\u201cIn the Armed Forces, we need retraining to perform our daily operations. So the exercise is part of our training objectives to ensure that the men are combat-ready to take on their duties.
\u201cThe Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has clearly declared his mission as to deploy a highly motivated and professional Naval Force, capable of securing Nigerian Maritime interests, and for the purpose of effective and diligent operations, to maintain national stability.\u201d
In his remarks, the Officer in Tactical Command, Rear Admiral KO Oguntuga, urged participating personnel to approach the Exercise with professionalism, vigilance, and strict adherence to safety.
Oguntuga noted that every operation at sea offers an opportunity to refine skills and strengthen teamwork.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Nigerian Navy said three helicopters; nine ships and multipurpose assault boats were deployed for a special sea inspection to showcase its combat readiness in safeguarding the nation\u2019s economic assets across the territorial waters. The Navy said the annual exercise will also prepare its officers and men for the effective security of the country\u2019s maritime […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n