The Nigerian navy has deployed three helicopters, nine ships, and several multipurpose assault boats in a large-scale maritime security exercise designed to strengthen its capacity to safeguard Nigeria’s territorial waters and maritime assets.
The special operation named Ex Din Mingi, which means safe waters, was launched on Tuesday by the eastern naval command at the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SHERE base in Onne, Rivers state.
The three-day exercise focuses on enhancing operational preparedness, collaboration across security agencies, and protection of national economic assets at sea.
Flag officer commanding the eastern naval command, Rear Admiral Chiedozie Okehie, said the annual exercise aligns with the Navy’s core pillars of professionalism, operational readiness, welfare, and inter-agency collaboration.
The exercise features naval ships of multiple classes, helicopters from both the Nigerian navy and Nigerian air force, an Epsilon EP55 unmanned aerial vehicle, and special operations boats from the Nigerian army and navy.
Troops will also conduct a simulated hostile boarding of a hijacked Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vessel to test their capabilities in neutralizing threats without damaging the vessel or cargo.
Okehie noted that officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) were participating by supporting the identification of psychoactive substances during ship searches, highlighting growing multi-agency cooperation.
“This exercise is to assess the operational readiness of the eastern fleet, display a multi-agency and multi-dimensional approach by deploying platforms, including air assets, to deny criminal elements freedom of action,” he said.
Okehie added that past drills had improved coordinated responses to maritime crime while honing the skills and confidence of operatives.
Continuous training, he stressed, remains key to sustaining efficiency and readiness across the service.
He reaffirmed the mission set by the chief of naval staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, to maintain a professional and motivated naval force capable of protecting Nigeria’s maritime domain and supporting national stability.
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