The Nigerian Navy says it would provide additional training to officers and ratings as part of measures to stop illegalities on the nations water.
The new Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Rear Adm. Mathew Emuekpere disclosed this on Monday during his familiarisation tour of naval warships in Onne, Rivers.
He said the training would help the navy to build on successes achieved in the fight against illegal bunkering, oil theft, pipeline vandalism, sea robbery and piracy at sea.
“We are here to access the ships under my command and to ensure that they are available at sea to combat illegalities.
“This visit has accorded me the opportunity to understand challenges and to see how solution could be proffered to enable the vessels to operate optimally at sea.
“I will ensure that (naval) exercises are done properly, and this will be achieved by troops getting the relevant training to enable them to perform on sea,’’ he said.
Emuekpere said though fleets and gunboats had been added to naval arsenal, yet the navy still needed more machinery, spare parts and training to succeed in its operations.
He pledged commitment to addressing issues bordering on welfare to boost morale of officers and ratings under the eastern naval command.
The flag officer urged members of the general public to assist the navy with timely information that would aid its fight against illegalities at sea and creeks.
Emuekpere inspected some of the nation’s warships including, NNS Thunder, NNS Burutu, NNS Sagbama, NNS Kyanwa, NNS Andoni, and NNS Ologbo, among others. (NAN)
