Navy, others search for answer to piracy

As maritime crimes assume transnational and frightening dimensions in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), regional navies and other stakeholders have converged on Lagos to work out how to set aside territorial boundaries for the common good, reports Precious Igbonwelundu.

This year’s OBANGAME Express was not the first multinational sea exercise in the Gulf of Guinea. It was, in fact, the ninth edition, a brainchild of the United States Naval Forces Africa (US NAVAF) commenced in 2010. But the 2019 edition of the exercise that had 20 African navies and 11 allied nations in attendance was one of many firsts.

It was indeed, the first time member states agreed to uninterrupted hot pursuit of suspect vessels across territorial space in about 85 mock exercises executed within 12 days. Also, this year’s OBANGAME Express was the first time a fully equipped Regional Maritime Domain Awareness Training School, a counterpart funding initiative between Nigeria and U.S. situated at the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT, was put to use. Participating navies enacted their scenarios at sea. It was also a first for the deployment of sniffer dogs to the high seas for counter drug trafficking simulations.

Hosted by the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the exercise aimed at assessing and improving the GoG law enforcement capacity, promote national and regional security, improve knowledge of African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP), planning and operations, as well as shape security forces’ assistance efforts.

A multi-phased exercise, which promotes the importance of regional cooperation between all the navies in the GoG, OBANGAME Express, a Fang, Southern Cameroonian word for togetherness, is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness, information sharing and enhance the collective capabilities of member states to counter illegalities in the maritime domain.

It also served to demonstrate and evaluate operational capability to respond to maritime events, prevent and counter maritime threats; demonstrate power projection and the ability to effectively operate as a multinational force under a regional control authority; demonstrate and evaluate maritime operations centre operability with tactical units and evaluate and access Africa Partnership Station (APS) training effects.

For this year, the Nigerian Navy (NN) deployed eight warships, including two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs)- NNS CENTENARY and NNS UNITY; two maritime patrol helicopters to complement a warship each deployed by the US, Togolese and Portuguese navies for the Nigerian phase of the sea exercise.

At the opening ceremony which held at the Naval Dockyard Limited (NDL) Victoria Island, Lagos, the need for regional navies to eschew suspicion, allow seamless patrol and uninterrupted hot pursuit of rogue vessels from one country’s territorial to the other was brought to the fore giving the ease with which pirates, sea robbers and other maritime offenders navigated the general area.

Acknowledging the security challenges plaguing the region, Vice Admiral Ibas told participants at the opening ceremony in Lagos that these multifaceted and evolving threats were leading to deepening conditions inimical to peace and security. Of particular concern, he said, was the realisation that many of the threats posed a great danger to effective exploitation of the maritime environment and increasingly manifest as transnational and cross-border crimes, hence, the need for a united response by regional navies and coastguards.

“This esteemed assembly is no doubt fully abreast of the gains of the African Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS) 2050 and the Yaoundé Code of Conduct of 2013, which have facilitated capacity building within a defined architecture for regional maritime security Operations.

“These instruments have also emplaced standards for inter-regional co-operation based on law enforcement at sea, information sharing and training, further enhancing multilateral collaboration in the GoG.

“This is the spirit that birthed the OBANGAME EXPRESS as a tool for enhancing the collective capabilities of GoG countries to counter sea-based illicit activities by improving regional cooperation,” said Ibas.

For Vice Admiral Ibas, one of the gains of collaboration was the agreement by members of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) Zone E to allow navies of member state chase suspect vessels into another territory without the usual bureaucratic and diplomatic bottlenecks. The development, he noted, was giving the criminals a hard time which has ultimately led to reducing maritime crime in recent times.

While participants for the sea exercise sailed safely to the Atlantic Ocean from western waters, heads of navies and coastguards of the region, academics, European and American partners, among others converged on the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island for a three-day Senior Leadership Symposium to seek lasting solution to sea robbery, piracy, crude oil theft, Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing, human and illicit trafficking of weapons and drugs to name a few.

At sea, the participating platforms conducted exercises, such as tactical manoeuvring, counter illicit trafficking, search and rescue, anti-piracy, energy security, ship boarding and queries, air operations, communication drills, regional information sharing, anti-illegal fishing, advanced medical training, Vessel Boarding Search and Seizure (VBSS), vertical assault simulations and Gun Exercises (Gunnex).

“The anti-arms and narcotics smuggling began at exactly 10 am of day-two. The simulation saw the Portuguese ship interrogate NNS Centenary which acted as a suspect vessel. What played out was that the suspect vessel had declared that it was only carrying spare parts, just for the security forces to find drugs (cocaine) onboard, which led to arrest of the captain and five crew members.

“The second exercise started at exactly 14:35 pm and involved six ships including two vessels from NN, and one respectively from Portugal, Cameroon, Morrocco and U.S. The contingent carried out battle formations before the exercise proper.

“On day three, the simulation of illegal drugs and fishing happened. After the illegal vessel was arrested, they were interrogated, arrested then handed over to the immigration for further investigation and persecution. Afterwards, a search and rescue operation was carried out during the simulation of a hijacked vessel.  Day four saw the repetition of search and rescue operation. However, helicopter landing and medical evacuation also took place,” narrated a journalist who was onboard NNS CENTENARY for the five-day sea exercise

Reviewing the exercise at the closing ceremony in Lagos, the U.S. NAVAF described this edition as the most difficult since the commencement of OBANGAME Express.

The difficulties notwithstanding, US Navy Admiral James Foggo scored this year’s excellent, noting that exercise scenarios were specifically drafted to suit maritime threats in the region.

He said: “I have served in the headquarters of the African Partnership Station since 2010 and when we started, we did not have maritime operational centres; we did not have the Yaounde Code of Conduct in the maritime domain of the Gulf of Guinea.

“Now, countries collaborate better than they did in 2010 because of relationships built as a result of OBANGAME Express held every year. We have made incredible progress.

“This year was even more difficult. We had sniffer dogs for anti-drug trafficking simulations. We had Special Boats Services (SBS) from the Nigerian Navy. For the first time, we had the Maritime Domain Awareness Centre as part of the exercise.

“We are enthusiastic about successes recorded in the past nine years as we look forward to the 10th year. I give this year’s exercise an A+. “Firstly, we had 33 countries, 2500 participants from navies and coastguards from GoG nations, Europe, Cape Verde and North America all coming to participate in maritime domain security.

‘In the last couple of weeks, we have had 85 series of exercises, 95 ships some big as NNS THUNDER and others as small as patrol crafts. We had 12 aircraft participating and providing Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR).

“We did so many exercises, some started off slow and easy till it got very hard like a vertical assault at sea: that is training with risk. We will take the lessons learnt and implement in the next one.”

Forggo said he was enthusiastic about success recorded in the past nine years and looked forward to the 10th year.

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Acknowledging that maritime crimes in the GoG had evolved beyond the scope and capabilities of each nation, Defence Minister Mansur Dan-Ali called for collaborative commitment for a common approach.

Dan-Ali, who was represented by Director Navy, Patrick Ekawu, said the scourge of various forms of illegalities constituted serious challenges to the development of the countries in the region.

“One commonality amongst these maritime threats is that they have become transnational and have evolved beyond the scope and capability of one nation to combat. For most of the Gulf of Guinea Navies and Coast Guards therefore, one of the major implications of the emerging security equation is the increasing demand for maritime policing functions. Regrettably, in the past decade, a huge capability gap has emerged amongst Gulf of Guinea Navies and Coast Guards, in the efficient discharge of these roles.

“The situation increasingly gave rise to the need for greater international collaboration as well as interagency cooperation across various national capabilities and policy levels. It is against this background that Exercise OBANGAME EXPRESS has remained relevant in developing the capabilities of the various navies and coast guards in the Gulf of Guinea to combat maritime security challenges within their maritime domain, collaboration with international partners, relevant maritime security agencies and organisations…

“Permit me to reiterate that the magnitude of most maritime threats and their inter-connectedness, coupled with the fact that they provide such a diversity of impact demand that we keep coming together to fashion collaborative framed responses. I make bold to state that no single Navy or Coast Guard can do it alone. It is therefore hoped that the lessons from this exercise would be developed into collaborative action plans to support strategic-level initiatives to enhance our collective preparedness to meet emerging future maritime challenges in the ever-changing strategic security environment.”

To Vice Admiral Ibas, the exercise achieved its objectives as it showcased the use and importance of communication among the nations in the respective maritime zones, especially in areas of maritime interdiction operations. “It also created a platform for the NN to practice the operationalisation of the Harmonised Standard Operation Procedures for arrest, detention and prosecution of a criminal vessel in our waters.

“The exercise of the task elements in anti-piracy, hostage rescue operations and tactical fleet manoeuvres, in particular, is most rewarding. Furthermore, I recognise among the several other highpoints the valuable practice of the Special Forces in VBSS operations, and insertion/extraction of troops, evidence collected from crime scenes in conjunction with the MDAs in furtherance of law enforcement and the staging of mock MEDEVAC.

“The prospects of greater integration of the established maritime security mechanism covering ECCAS 4 zones (A-D) and ECOWAS zones E, F and G as a structure to support security in the GoG has pleasantly been raised both from the understanding secured from the complimentary Senior Leadership Symposium and in the combined exercise. We can by this achievement, look forward to greatly enhanced mutual support operations at sea.”

Speaking at a pre-event briefing, Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, Rear Adm. Obed Ngalabak, said about 31 countries, including 20 African nations and 11 allied countries, were participating in the exercise.

Ngalabak said: “The Obangame Express is aimed at assessing and improving GOG law enforcement capacity, promoting national and regional security, improving knowledge of African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP) planning and operations and shaping security force assistance efforts.

“The overall objectives are to assess each of the participating countries’ capabilities in Maritime Domain Awareness and Maritime Interdiction Operations.’’

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