DEFENCEWEB
Germany has given five patrol boats to the Nigerian Navy, which will use them to patrol Lake Chad and coastal creeks and deltas. The boats will be used, in part, to combat Boko Haram terrorists who have staged attacks around Lake Chad and have largely managed to elude Nigerian military patrols by hiding out on islands in the lake.
“The five boats are part of the greater initiatives of Germany in enhancing the peace and security of partner governments,” said Ingo Herbert, consul general of the German Embassy. “The focus is to support partner countries in the fight against terrorism.”
Herbert said the boats can be used for other purposes besides fighting extremists.
“These boats will not only primarily contribute in your fight in the Northeast, but also to fight illegal fishing, oil theft and other maritime crimes,” Herbert said, according to New Day. “Especially when you consider how important the maritime traffic is, with more than 90 percent of all growth worldwide really using maritime to reach their goals, it is very important to keep the maritime environment free of criminal elements.”
The five boats were built by Nigeria’s Epenal Group in a Port Harcourt shipyard. They are 8.2 meters long, have a glass-reinforced plastic hull and can accommodate up to seven people. They are powered by two 250-horsepower Yamaha outboard engines and armed with 12.7 mm machine guns and automatic grenade launchers. Top speed is 35 to 40 knots.
After the boats were handed over, German officials were taken through some of the creeks in the Niger Delta, during which Nigerian Navy personnel arrested five suspected oil thieves and boats loaded with illegally refined fuel.
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