Vietnam Shipbuilding will deliver patrol boats to Nigeria. Vietnamese media reported that Hanoi-based James Boat Technology Company had delivered 50 composite patrol boats to Nigeria in mid-December 2019. They will be used for patrol, search and rescue and oil rig protection duties. meanwhile, Hong Ha Shipbuilding Company, meanwhile, an order for ten 15 metre armoured patrol boats from Nigeria. The Nigerian Navy (NN) plans to take delivery of 41 new vessels in 2020, including patrol boats, interceptors and a hydrographic survey vessel.
The patrol boats were ordered by Nigerian billionaire Benedict Peters on behalf of the company Marine Assets And Offshore Equipment Limited, a Nigerian firm that specializes in procuring vessels to support the marine industry of Nigeria along with other African countries. A photo was showing the construction of patrol boats with a design like the Manta or D300 speedboats made by the Malaysian company Suncraft. The Manta is also advertised by Vietnam’s Haiphong-based 189 Shipbuilding Company (Z189).
Nigeria’s oil and gas facilities and shipping is being threatened by piracy, sea robbery, crude oil theft, illegal oil bunkering, unregulated fishing, militancy and hostage taking, which is a major concern to the Navy. Several operations have been launched to combat these threats, with 378 illegal refineries destroyed in 2019, 62 speedboats impounded, 463 wooden boats destroyed and 275 suspects arrested. Naval acquisitions in 2019 included 20 riverine patrol boats, 20 rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) and house boats.
