By Obiabin Onukwugha
The American government has donated an 11-meter Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) to the Nigeria Navy Special Boat Service to assist the agency in combating maritime crime within the Nigerian waterways and the Gulf of Guinea.
Rigid-hull inflatable boat is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are inflated with air to a high pressure so as to give the sides resilient rigidity along the boat’s topsides.
The design is stable, light, fast and seaworthy. The inflated collar acts as a life jacket, ensuring that the vessel retains its buoyancy, even if the boat is taking on water.
The donation is part of a long standing security partnership that exists between the US and the Nigerian governments.
The RHIB, according to the U.S. government will support Nigeria Navy Special Boat Service rapid response to combat crime along the waterways.
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In a brief ceremony marking the boat transfer hosted by the Nigerian Navy at the Joint Maritime Security Training Center in Lagos, U.S. Consul General, Will Stevens, highlighted the strong maritime partnership that exists between the United States and Nigeria in promoting peace, stability, and security in Africa.
He said: “The donation of the Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat from the U.S. government to the Nigeria Navy Special Boat Service demonstrates the U.S. commitment to enhancing the Nigerian Navy’s maritime interdiction and response capacity throughout Nigeria’s territorial waters and the Gulf of Guinea.
Officers and members of the Nigeria Navy Special Boat Service had completed a nine-week Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) alongside a team of U.S. Marine Special Forces.
The JCET was part of a series of U.S. engagements that provide opportunities for the Nigerian military and U.S. elite units to work together, learn from each other, and strengthen relationships.
Nigeria is an active participant in Obangame Express and Exercise Flintlock, two of the largest multinational annual maritime security exercises in the region.
The exercises are scheduled to take place concurrently in May 2024 with the goal of encouraging participating countries to work together to address transnational maritime challenges.
