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Nigeria’s Naval Power – Reviving capacity after prolonged decline

Sanjay Badri-Maharaj
Archive data: Person was Visiting Fellow at IDSA Expertise Latin America and the Caribbean, India’s Nuclear Doctrine, Air Defences, Police and Paramilitary Forces Education PhD in  War Studies, Department of… Continue reading Nigeria’s Naval Power – Reviving capacity after prolonged decline read more
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Nigeria’s navy is easily the largest in West Africa, with some 25,000 personnel and roughly 200 platforms.1 However, its capabilities are not commensurate with its size as it is a force currently lacking modern surface combatants capable of any significant combat tasking. Perhaps in recognition of its limitations, the Nigerian navy has sensibly concentrated its efforts on procuring a fleet of offshore and inshore patrol vessels, augmented by local construction to ensure an adequate patrol presence in the country’s EEZ and to protect its offshore oil installations. Smaller combatants and patrol craft have also been extensively deployed against Boko Haram.

Years of Expansion and Neglect

The late 1970s and 1980s saw a major expansion of the Nigerian navy’s surface fleet. By 1981, the Nigerian Navy was, at least on paper, a potent force with a German designed MEKO 360H class guided-missile frigate – the NNS Aradu – spearheading a fleet that included a smaller, older frigate, the NNS Obuma, four corvettes of the Dorina and Erin’mi classes and six missile boats – three Ekpe class of German design and three Siri class of French design.2 In addition to these vessels, there was a capable force of minesweepers, seaward defence boats and patrol craft.3

At the time, the Nigerian navy was arguably the best equipped surface fleet in sub-Saharan Africa. However, even as its capabilities increased, its training and maintenance capabilities failed to keep pace with the ever increasing demands of its vessels and chronic serviceability issues began to manifest themselves and the number of operational platforms plummeted, compounded by financial problems brought about by falling oil prices.4 Nigeria’s Naval headquarters, in its overview of serviceability between 1999 and 2009, shows that of twenty-five major surface assets – combatants and support ships – no fewer than twenty were non-operational in 2009.5

The lack of spares, adequately trained personnel and routine maintenance was acutely felt in respect of the relatively modern frigate Aradu and the missile boats. The Aradu suffered the ignominy of breaking down off the coast of Monrovia, Liberia in 1997 while deployed in support of Nigerian troops operating as part of ECOMOG.6 While the Aradu was restored to surface and participated in a number of exercises between 2005 and 2007, the vessel was operating at well below its optimal capacity.

Not only was the serviceability of surface assets severely compromised by internal shortcomings and lack of funding, the ordnance available to the major service combatants was also adversely affected. The OTOMAT anti-ship missiles equipping the Aradu and Ekpe classes were never subject to a life-extension program and no new missiles were ever purchased. This also applied to the Exocet anti-ship missiles of the Siri class and the Aspide surface-to-air missiles of the Aradu.7

Efforts to overhaul and maintain the fleet locally, through the Nigerian Naval Dockyard (NND) were only partially successful. Of 36 Inshore Patrol Craft (IPC) in the Nigerian Navy inventory docked at the NND between 2002 and 2007, only 11 IPC representing 30.5% were operational while the remaining 25 IPC – 69.5%- were non-operational. Furthermore, out of the 16 major surface ships refitted between 2003 and 2007, only seven, or 43.75%, were operational while the other 9 – 56.25% – were not operational.8

The Demise of the Aradu and Refitting older ships

Despite the prestige attached to its large flagship, the NNS Aradu seems to have met its end. After being docked alongside for some nine years, the condition of the vessel is now so poor that the Nigerian Navy needs USD 250 million to refit the Aradu – money which is simply not available.9 Given existing budgetary constraints, it is unlikely that a replacement for the Aradu, similar in size and capability as envisaged in its modernisation plans will come to fruition.10

On a more positive note is the fact that the six missile boats are showing some signs of re-entering service, albeit without their missiles. In 2016, all three Siri class vessels were observed undergoing refits at the NND.11 In addition, the three Ekpe class vessels were filmed also undergoing refits. 12 While somewhat less potent without their missiles, restoring these six vessels to service will give the Nigerian navy effective patrol assets. More importantly, the restoration of these vessels will serve as a morale boost for the navy and improve the confidence of the NND to undertake refits of naval vessels. However, despite being in refit for at least three years, there is as yet no sign of any of these vessels participating in naval exercises or operations.

Second-Hand Assets

The Nigerian Navy has acquired a significant number of reconditioned United States Coast Guard Vessels. Two second-hand Hamilton class OPVs have been delivered to Nigeria and now form the country’s largest operational naval assets.

In 2011, the USCG Chase was decommissioned and donated to the Nigerian Navy, which commissioned her as a frigate, NNS Thunder, although she lacks little by way of armament appropriate to such a role. The Thunder was commissioned into Nigerian service on January 23, 2012 but shortly thereafter, in March 2012, it collided with a vessel owned by Total S.A. on the Bonny River. More recently, the NNS Thunder, after being grounded since 2016 was declared unfit to sail following the failure of its critical components and machinery. However, in 2018, after strenuous efforts complicated by a lack of spares for the ageing vessel, the ship re-entered service.13 The second vessel, USCG Gallatin served with the United States Coast Guard until 31 March 2014, when she was decommissioned and thereafter she was transferred to the Nigerian Navy and renamed the NNS Okpabana.

The Hamilton class vessels though large and possessing significant range and endurance, are roughly five decades old and are at best an interim measure. The vessels are armed with 76mm gun but their electronics fit is dated and some of the sub-systems are non-operational.

It should be noted that the Hamilton class vessels are not the first former US Coast Guard ships procured by Nigeria. The had earlier taken delivery of an eclectic mix of former US Coast Guard vessels which included four 60 year old Balsam class buoy tenders.14 These vessels continue to serve the Nigerian Navy remarkably well despite their advanced age.

New Vessels

Nigeria’s acquisition of new assets began in a modest manner. Priority was given to purchasing plethora of patrol craft the largest of which were two modern Sea Eagle patrol vessels each 38m in length to strengthen its offshore patrol assets. Additional acquisitions included inshore patrol vessels, the principal among them being five Shaldag class vessels from Israel, 22 Manta class craft from Singapore and 15 Defender class boats from the United States.15

Nigeria’s most capable acquisitions came from China when, Nigeria ordered two P18N Offshore Patrol Vessels from CSOC in April 2012 for US$42 million each.16 These are based on the Chinese Navy’s Type 056 missile corvettes but have a dramatically reduced armament of a single 76mm gun, with a secondary armament of two 30mm and two 20mm guns. Unlike the Type 056, the P18Ns have helicopter hangars and an oil support recovery system for dealing with oil spills. The first vessel, the NNS Centenary, was commissioned in February 201517 while the second ship, the NNS Unity, was commissioned in December 2016.18

These two OPVs, alongside the two Hamilton class vessels represent the most potent surface assets available to the Nigerian Navy. Fortunately, Nigeria faces little by way of a conventional military threat from any of its neighbours and while the prestige of having missile frigates like the Aradu and a force of missile boats is undoubtedly attractive, Nigeria seems to have eschewed such an approach in favour of acquiring patrol vessels to secure its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and to deal with maritime crimes such as piracy, oil bunkering and smuggling and to combat terrorists operating in maritime and riverine areas. Piracy, in particular has been a chronic problem for Nigeria and the Nigerian Navy has deployed significant assets to contain piracy in the Gulf of Guinea as well as criminal elements using the country’s waterways.19

To this end, on 3 September 2018, in a ceremony held at the Nigerian Naval Dockyard in Lagos, the Nigerian Navy commissioned sixteen new patrol boats. These included six French built OCEA fast patrol boats and ten new small boats.20 The OCEA boats include two FPB 110 MKII hulls – Nguru (P 187) and Ekulu (P 188) – and four smaller FPB 72 MKII hulls – Shiroro (P 185), Ose (P 186), Gongola (P 189), and Calabar (P 190).21 These vessels represent repeat orders for OCEA craft following the delivery of three OCEA FPB 72 vessels in 2012-2013 and one FPB 98 in 2013.22

While surface assets have shown a significant improvement in respect of numbers, their capabilities are modest though with the caveat that these capabilities are quite adequate for the off-shore, inshore, riverine and littoral patrol tasks that they are required to perform. Rather surprisingly, air support is very limited with two Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 maritime reconnaissance aircraft23 being augmented by four surviving A109E light utility helicopters of the Nigerian Navy.24

Local Construction Begins to Show Results

Though the Nigerian Naval Dockyard has long been involved in a difficult effort to refit and overhaul Nigeria’s fleet, it is only recently that efforts in indigenous warship construction have started to show results. In 2012, the NNS Andoni, a Seaward Defence Boat, was commissioned into the Nigerian Navy.25 This modest 31m vessel was intended to be the first of a class of three and represents a major step forward in Nigerian shipbuilding capabilities. A second vessel, the NNS Karaduwa, was commissioned in December 2016 but is larger at 40m with a third vessel of 50m in length being planned. 26

Challenges Abound

The Nigerian Navy is slowly clawing its way back to being a viable force capable of performing critical missions in respect of EEZ surveillance and patrol. It possesses an adequate fleet of inshore and riverine patrol craft and its growing refit and overhaul capabilities should prove adequate to the task of maintaining these vessels and augmenting them with new construction. However, the Nigerian Navy continues to face capability gaps in respect of the number of major surface combatants as well as the weapons systems available to the fleet. Nonetheless, it is possible that with its current more modest inventory, the Nigerian Navy may be capable of sustaining itself on a modest budget far more effectively than in the past when the prestige and lure of missile-equipped vessels perhaps overextended the limited resources made available to the navy

Dr. Sanjay Badri-Maharaj is Barrister and Attorney at Law in Trinidad. He has been a Visiting Fellow at IDSA.

Keywords: Naval, Nigeria
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