Navy repositions to tackle sea criminals

The Nigerian Navy said it is set to stra­tegically reposition the force to adopt a new underwater tactics and to enable the force meets with its constitution­ally assigned roles.

The Commandant of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Quorra, Commodore Francis Isaac disclosed this during the graduation ceremony of naval students of the NNS Quorra.

The NNS QUORRA, which is located in Apapa is the training wing of the force and provides various profes­sional courses for officers and ratings of naval estab­lishments across the country and within West Africa.

Among the students who graduated from the school were the first, second and third rate classes of underwa­ter warfare, navigation and direction; communication and information technology and the Falcon Eye surveil­lance courses.

Commodore Isaac spoke on the significance of these courses in the operations of the Nigerian Navy, explain­ing that the personnel be­ing trained in under water warfare will handle all op­erations of the force under water.

He said that some have been trained in navigation and direction control and others, in radar and radio operations. According to the commandant, the special course on Maritime Domain Awareness will enable the Navy to monitor the Nige­rian waters as far as the EU zone.

Commodore Isaac said the personnel trained in this course will be able to work with the new equipment re­cently acquired by the navy. They will be able to track and identify vessels to an extent where if need be con­duct searches or platform dispatched to apprehend the oil thieves.

The Nigerian Navy had acquired the Falcon Eye Is­raeli-designed mass surveil­lance system to monitor the country’s territorial waters and track movements within the broader Gulf of Guinea. Falcon eye tactical centre was commissioned three weeks ago for this purpose.

Cdre O.O. Nesiama , the Command Ashore and Sea Training Officer of the Naval Training Command, com­mended the commanding officer of NNS Quorra and his team on their efforts in keeping to the navy trans­formation ideals during this training. For future trainings, he said that every course at­tended will be backed up with practical sessions as a means of going forward.

He said as from January 2016, the training ship NNS Prosperity will be attached to the training command for all practical sea trainings.