Nigeria to Strengthen Maritime Security With Deep Blue Expansion

The Federal Government has announced plans to expand the Deep Blue Project to additional vulnerable coastal and maritime corridors across Nigeria, including the sensitive Bakassi Peninsula, as authorities intensify efforts to strengthen maritime security and sustain anti-piracy gains.

Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, disclosed the development during the 2026 graduation ceremony of 492 Advanced Combat Personnel under the Deep Blue Project held at the 5th Battalion Army Barracks in Elele, Rivers State.

According to the Minister, the expansion would cover strategic maritime areas such as Bakassi, Igbokoda and other coastal corridors considered vulnerable to criminal activities including piracy, smuggling and illegal maritime operations.

Oyetola said the initiative was part of broader efforts to consolidate the successes already achieved under the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, popularly known as the Deep Blue Project.

He explained that the expansion would improve surveillance capabilities, strengthen rapid response operations and ensure maritime security assets remain fully operational across Nigeria’s territorial waters.

The minister noted that Nigeria has recorded zero piracy incidents within its territorial waters over the past four years due largely to the implementation of the project and increased collaboration among security agencies. He added that piracy across the Gulf of Guinea had reduced by more than 70 per cent within the same period.

According to him, before the launch of the project in 2021, the Gulf of Guinea had become one of the world’s most dangerous maritime regions, accounting for a significant percentage of global piracy incidents and crew kidnappings.

Oyetola stated that the Deep Blue Project transformed Nigeria’s maritime security framework through the deployment of integrated land, sea and air assets backed by modern surveillance technology.

Speaking during the ceremony, Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dayo Mobereola, described the graduating officers as evidence of Nigeria’s growing operational readiness and institutional resilience.

He revealed that the 492 personnel underwent specialised training across multiple operational areas both locally and internationally.

The graduates included maritime security operatives, aircraft pilots, helicopter technicians, vessel crew members, drone operators, interceptor boat drivers and intelligence personnel trained in countries including Italy, Australia, Swaziland, Syria and Nigeria.

Mobereola said the operational assets of the Deep Blue Project currently include special mission aircraft, surveillance helicopters, deep-sea patrol vessels, unmanned aerial vehicles, interceptor boats and armoured coastal patrol vehicles.

He added that the government remains committed to sustaining maritime security reforms capable of protecting Nigeria’s economy and safeguarding international shipping routes through the Gulf of Guinea.