Deep Blue project driven by competent manpower – NIMASA

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr Bashir Jamoh, has said that assets deployed under the Deep Blue Project, recently launched by President Muhammadu Buhari, are manned by proficient officers from the Nigerian security services.

Dr. Jamoh, stated this in Lagos, during   the graduation ceremony of officers trained to crew the Special Mission Vessels, the main maritime component of the project also called the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure.

Dr. Jamoh, who was represented by the agency’s Executive Director, Operations, Mr. Shehu Ahmed, said the graduation of 30 officers trained in various part of the globe marked a significant addition to the team of competent personnel manning assets under the maritime security scheme.

“This event is remarkable. It guarantees us competent manpower required to man the Special Mission Vessels. It is a further indication of our commitment to bequeath a crime free maritime domain to Nigerians and the global maritime community.

“Early in the year and in line with a Presidential directive, we deployed the Special Mission Vessels and the Fast Interceptor Boats to the Lagos Port Secure Anchorage Area. But the event of today takes us further to the full deployment of the two Special Mission Vessels with fully trained and certified crew,” he stated.

The crew of the Special Mission Vessels have concluded localised training and terrain familiarisation courses after their initial technical based training abroad.

Also speaking about the training, Coordinator of the Deep Blue Project, and Director, Planning, Research and Data Management Services Department (PRDMSD), NIMASA, Mr. Anthony Ogadi, said the crew had nine foreign and 10 local trainings on various platforms of the Deep Blue Project under the supervision of the project contractor, HLSI. 

Ogadi stated that some local trainings for the operation of other assets under the maritime security scheme, including the Special Mission Aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers were simultaneously on-going at Ikeja and Ojo in Lagos, and Elele in Rivers State.