The quest by early explorers to harness resources at sea necessitates the evolution of different technologies and capabilities in the maritime industry. The history of shipbuilding cannot be understood without the role of science, engineering and technology in the endeavour. Apart from Biblical account of Noah’s Ark, and the ancestors of Australian Aborigines and the New Guineans that went across the Lombok Strait to Sahul by boat over 5000 years ago, evidence from ancient Egypt shows that the early Egyptians already knew how to assemble planks of wood into a watertight hull. The Greek and others introduced multiple banks of oars for additional speed.
The dockyard which is used for shipbuilding is an important and strategic component of the maritime industry. A nation’s need to manufacture and repair its own naval and commercial ships to protect and boost seaborne trade cannot be overemphasized. This makes shipbuilding an attractive sector of the economy for both developed and developing nations. China, Japan, and South Korea among other nations have used shipbuilding to recreate their industrial structure. South Korea made shipbuilding a strategic industry in the 1970s and China currently has achieved same feat. South Africa, a littoral state with good technological capabilities is equally into shipbuilding. But Nigeria’s shipbuilding sector is still at its infancy.
This would enable Nigeria meet her obligations as a maritime nation of providing nautical services and products required for safe navigation and development of global trade
The Nigerian Navy (NN) in continuation of its fleet renewal efforts have recently acquired a new hydrographic survey vessel. The NN took delivery of the hydrographic survey vessel on 17 May 2021 in Lagos. The 60-meter-long vessel with a capacity of 50 crew sailed from Saint Nazaire, France to Lagos on 18 April 2021 and was named after the decommissioned NNS LANA.
There is no doubt that the NN and indeed Nigeria, needs hydrographic data as these would further guide maritime activities in our territorial waters. It is envisaged that the rebirth of NNS LANA will enable the hydrographic department of the NN to conduct hydrographic surveys and charting of Nigeria’s waters. So, in its drive to enhance NN’s response capability to hydrographic and bathymetric data, the Navy has expressed its obligation towards acquiring more requisite mix of platforms for the Service. The emphasis on fleet renewal strategy is further emphasized by ongoing efforts to procure another 35-meter-long survey vessel and a few helicopters. All these additions are to combat maritime threats that have significant effects on the nation’s maritime environment. These maritime threats include piracy, sea robbery, crude oil theft, illegal oil bunkering, smuggling, Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF), insurgency, hostage taking as well as human and drug trafficking.
Detailed charting of Nigerian waters is essential for safe navigation within the nation’s Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC). A constant updated navigational picture and notices to mariners are key because of the peculiar nature of our maritime environment that has rapidly changing disposition and location of oil exploration platforms. The projection for a submarine service further reinforces the relevance of up-to-date navigational information and constantly updated awareness.
The Hydrographer of the Navy is equally Nigeria’s Hydrographer. To this end, the NN Hydrographic Department as an “Enterprise” would provide services including geospatial information for the defence of the nation’s maritime environment. This would enable Nigeria meet her obligations as a maritime nation of providing nautical services and products required for safe navigation and development of global trade as well as satisfy international obligations under the provisions of SOLAS Chapter V and United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea III (UNCLOS III).
The “enterprise” in providing maritime geospatial information for the military would acquire, manage, produce, archive and deliver hydrographic, meteorological and oceanographic data that would allow the nation have sea control for strategic, operational and tactical advantage within the West African Subregion and beyond. In view of the foregone, maritime scholars are of the view that the NN hydrographic capability is vital for the entire Nigerian maritime industry.
What about the economic benefits of having a hydrographic survey ship? The economic benefits of hydrography have been described in several studies as huge compared to the investment where returns have been assessed to be more than a ratio of 10 to 1 over costs. However, reports show that this figure was arrived at by considering all the stakeholders available to use and adopt the services and products. This notwithstanding, hydrographic capability certainly should be an incentive for coastal nations such as Nigeria that has invested in hydrographic services and to have properly charted waters that can support an ever-growing need for maritime trade. Improved charts will definitely allow for faster transits of ships with deeper draughts, resulting in larger tonnage of goods moving through navigational choke points and ports.
Therefore, for the NN in particular and Nigeria in general, me thinks that there are benefits that outweigh the investments in the procurement of a hydrography survey ship and this must be of interest, certainly good news for the nation, the naval profession, the end users of nautical publications and other hydrographic products, maritime communities and those who dwell within the world’s coastal zone. Thank you.
