Nigeria is a major African military power. Its military is often accused of human rights violations, like recently for using helicopters against civilians. Despite these continuing accusation, Italian Leonardo (partnered with Israeli Elbit) will deliver 6 M346FA jets to Nigeria in 2021. Nigeria's navy often escapes the scrutiny while oil extraction, pollution and protests happen in and around the waterways and creeks of Niger Delta. There is good reason to have a look at boats and vessels also.
Although Nigeria is a regional power, its navy does not have many major vessels. There are two frigates, one from Germany* and one a former US Coast Guard vessel upgraded and modernised into a frigate. Nigeria does however have a wide range of small boats and vessels. This fits closely to the major role its maritime forces have: anti-piracy operations and the protection of the oil industry.
Dutch companies are major suppliers of this type of vessels. The Dutch government provides financial insurance for the export of protected civil vessels. These are civil vessels sold to providers of services to the world's major oil companies active in the Niger Delta, such as Shell, Total, Chevron and ExxonMobile.
Nigerian navy
The Nigerian Navy said it had acquired 172 patrol boats, four helicopters, four ships and 14 unmanned aerial vehicles over the last six years to fight crude oil theft and sea piracy within the country's territorial waters. The Nigerian Navy incorporated a total of 378 platforms, including the 172 patrol boats, and also 114 rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs), two Seaward Defence Boats, 12 Manta-class boats, three Whaler boats, three tugs and two barges.
And there is the large acquisition of a amphibian transport vessel. In a video clip
this Landing Ship Transport 120 can be watched while ramps unfold and
weapon systems are boarded. The ship is developed by the Dutch Damen
conglomerate of ship wharfs. Tanks (up to 70 tons), vessels and armoured
vehicles can be brought aboard in several ways at different spots of
the ship, for transport to remote places of conflict. See also earlier Stop Wapenhandel blog about this deliverance.
Stop Wapenhandel also published about a Dutch export of fast boats to Nigeria, an order that drowned in a quackmire of corruption.
To Parliamentary questions about deployability of these boats against
civil protest in the Niger Delta this sale was defended by the Dutch
government as important for the protection of oil platforms of Shell in the Niger Delta.
At its Vietnamese ship wharfs the Damen company is also building for the Nigerian navy. It is constructing two 40 meters patrol boats also known as the Stan Patrol 4207. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these vessel are trapped in Vietnam and cannot be delivered. They can be armed with various type of armament included a remotely operated weapons station mounted with a 12.7 mm naval machine gun, according to the Military Africa website.
Oil industry service vessels
Outside the scope of the navy, the Damen company is providing a range of vessels for the network of companies that serve the oil industry with personnel transport and offshore activities like building platforms and pipe laying. Atradius Dutch State Business is due to report the individual policies it issued and thus give an overview of all vessels using the financial support by the Dutch government. It turns out Damen exported (armoured) fast crew suppliers, work boats and patrol vessels to an amount of € 202 million from 2013 to 2020 (see table below). These are for civilian use, although often painted in grey which gives them a military appearance. It can not be ruled out they are sometimes used to embark armed (military) personnel. Proof of this did not surface yet, but in the militarised Niger Delta situation it is hard to exclude such use.
Security vessels
Several programs of other Dutch ship and boat builders stay under the radar. The Abuja and Lagos survey vessels were build buy Dutch wharf De Hoop situated in Lobith. They have been recently deployed in a integrated sea, air and land military operation: “what we seek to do … to 'snove' the bandits out of the creeks,” said Rotimi Fashakin, head of operations NIMASA
(Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency). He was joined by
Murtala Bashir, the Nigerian naval forces to explain the operation.
During the same operation also Fast Interceptor Boats were used during
the same operation. This might have included a number – up to seventeen
in 2020 – of fast interceptor TDHM1050 boats by Dutch shipbuilder De Haas from Maassluis to NIMASA.
This was not the first sale of De Haas to Nigeria.
In 2012 two patrol vessels for security operations were shipped to
Nigeria to protect ships from piracy by Nigerian Sea Trucks, active in
the oil business, and created by Jacques Roomans. This Nigerian with
Dutch heritage was also involved in another business, the West African
Ventures (WAV). Both companies ran into internal turmoil and a retired naval admiral “tried
to forcefully take one of WAV’s vessels, Jascon 55, out of Nigeria. The
Nigerian navy, however, promptly intervened and stopped the attempted
theft.” His business would sour soon after. It is one more example
of how Nigeria is a Bonanza for loosely organised security
constructions.
Neglect of the people
“Nigerian democratic political system is inherent with military
features whereby every side of it is militarised in one way or the other,” as a Nigerian scholar on international relations argues.
He explains how the situation in the Niger Delta was repressed by the
government mainly focusing on the use of military and paramilitary
forces. This has deteriorated the security situation and the needs of
the people are neglected. Dutch vessels are good for big oil, but not
for a secure Niger Delta.
* a 1980's MEKO-frigate with Oto Melara guns and Thales Netherlands fire control radar.
Martin Broek - May 2021
Explosive Stuff is the blog on arms trade and militarism of Stop Wapenhandel. Subscribe/unsubscribe
|
Damen exports with Dutch export credit facility to Nigeria 2010-2021 (with exception of dredgers) |
||||
|
Date |
Debtor |
description
|
Maximum liability |
Guarantor |
|
Financier |
||||
|
06-02-13 |
Strickland
Services Ltd |
Fast Crew Supplier Patrol and services and training.  |
€ 6,063,946 |
Fidelity Bank Plc, Lagos,Nigeria |
|
ING Bank N.V. |
||||
|
08-08-13 |
Tamrose
Ventures Ltd |
Fast Crew Supplier |
€ 6,538,379 |
Diamond Bank PLC. In the past few years it's employees were several times accused of corruption (examples a and b) and overcharging its customer (sources a and b). |
|
n.v.t. |
||||
|
21-03-14 |
EPIC
International FZE Clients: Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) and Mobil, under long-term contracts) |
2 Damen Stan Patrol 1605  |
€ 3,096,856 |
C and I Leasing, Lagos/Nigeria |
|
n.v.t. |
||||
|
29-04-14 |
Strickland Services Ltd. |
Fast Crew Supplier Patrol and services. |
€ 6,337,158 |
n.v.t. |
|
ING Bank NV |
||||
|
13-10-14 |
Nigeria Strickland Services Ltd. |
Fast Crew Supplier 3307 and services |
€ 6,964,858 |
Fidelity Bank Plc |
|
n.v.t. |
||||
|
15-10-14 |
Nigeria Tamrose Ventures Limited (TVL) |
Damen Fast Crew Supplier 3307 Patrol |
€ 6,840,675 |
Diamond Bank Plc |
|
n.v.t. |
||||
|
23-10-14 |
Nigeria EPIC International FZE |
Fast Crew Supplier 3307 |
€ 6,874,290 |
C and I Leasing, Lagos/Nigeria |
|
n.v.t. |
||||
|
27-03-15 |
Damen Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) 3300  |
€ 26,121,567 |
Fidelity Bank Plc |
|
|
ING Bank NV |
||||
|
27-03-15 |
L.A.T.C. Marine Ltd |
Damen Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 5009  |
€ 9,659,776 |
Fidelity Bank Plc |
|
ING Bank NV |
||||
|
15-04-15 |
Nigeria
Homeland Integrated Offshore Services Ltd |
Fast Crew Supplier |
€ 6,261,785 |
Fidelity Bank PLC |
|
n.v.t. |
||||
|
20-07-15 |
Nigeria Strickland Services Ltd |
Damen Fast Crew Suppliers (FCS) 3307
|
€ 6,261,785 |
Fidelity Bank PLC |
|
ING Bank NV |
||||
|
20-12-17 |
Epic International FZE, Dubai, UAE |
A workboat for harbour services |
US$
3,047,276 |
C and I Leasing |
|
n.a. |
||||
|
03-07-17 |
Homeland Integrated Offshore Service Limited |
A workboat for harbour services |
€ 6,395,518 |
n.a. |
|
AMRO Bank N.V. |
||||
|
19-02-16 |
EPIC International FZE |
€ 15,344,303 |
C and I Leasing |
|
|
Rabobank |
||||
|
07-05-18 |
E.A. Temile & Sons Development Co., Nigeria Ltd Clients: Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and NNPC as our major clients. |
Delivery of two patrol vessels |
US$
12,358,321 |
n.a. |
|
ABN Amro Bank NV |
||||
|
04-06-18 |
Strickland Services Ltd. |
Delivery of a fast crew supply vessel |
€ 5,336,161 |
n.a. |
|
ING Bank N.V. |
||||
|
29-06-18 |
E.A. Temile & Sons Development Co. Nigeria Ltd |
delivery of one fast crew supply vessel |
US$ 5,776,843 (€4,950,590) |
n.a. |
|
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. |
||||
|
26-09-18 |
EPIC International FZE, Dubai, UAE |
Delivery of two ships |
US$
26,496,214 |
C and I Leasing, Lagos, Nigeria |
|
n.a. |
||||
|
17-10-18 |
Homeland Integrated Offshore Services Ltd |
delivery of one fast crew supply vessel |
€ 6,288,201 |
n.a. |
|
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. |
||||
|
06-11-18 |
Strickland Services Ltd |
delivery of one fast crew supply vessel |
€ 5,815,760 |
n.a. |
|
n.a. |
||||
|
08-05-19 |
Homeland Integrated offshore Services Ltd |
Delivery of a Vessel |
€ 6,260,737 |
n.a. |
|
ABN AMRO Bank |
||||
|
05-08-19 |
Hamilton Technologies Ltd, Port Harcourt. (Clients: Shell, Halliburton, Chevron, Total, ExxonMobile, SNEPCO, Star Deepwater Petroleum, Addax Petroleum, NPDC, ENI, ESSO (http://web.archive.org/web/20200201080501/http://hamiltontechnologies.com/). |
Delivery of a ship |
US$
7,293,027 |
n.a. |
|
n.a. |
||||
|
12-08-19 |
SR Platforms Ltd, Lagos. Clients: Include: ExxonMobile, Shell, Total, Chevron, Addax Petrleum, ENI Saipum, Oando, LNG, Seplat, AMNI, Nigerian National Petroleum (logo's at bottom of page). |
Delivery of a ship |
€ 6,067,593 |
Archetype
Energy Services Ltd, Lagos. |
|
n.a. |
||||
|
04-10-19 |
Jeruzeth International Engineering Company Ltd Clients: by MoA with Kavin for Petrobras, Agip, Chevron, Shell, Technics offshore. |
Delivery of a ship |
US$
8,198,249 |
Fidelity Bank Plc |
|
n.a. |
||||
|
04-10-19 |
Homeland Integrated Offhore Services Ltd |
Delivery of a ship |
€ 6,412,531 |
n.a. |
|
ABN AMRO Bank NV |
||||
|
07-11-19 |
Strickland Services Ltd, Port Harcourt |
Delivery of a ship |
€ 6,085,945 |
n.a. |
|
n.a. |
||||
|
14-01-20 |
SR Platforms Ltd |
Delivery of a ship |
€ 5,897,233 |
Archetype Energy Sevices Ltd. |
|
n.a. |
||||
|
28-02-20 |
Strickland Services Ltd, Port Harcourt |
Delivery of a ship |
€ 5,364,125 |
n.a. |
|
n.a. |
||||
|
Source: Afgegeven polissen EKV (downloads) 2010-2021 https://atradiusdutchstatebusiness.nl/nl/artikel/afgegeven-polissen.html (accessed April 13, 2021)
Note: |
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