Nigerian Navy Inducts SSV KALI 3, Strengthen Partnership with SEEPCO to Protect Critical Energy Assets

The Nigerian Navy has strengthened its maritime security capability with the induction of Security Support Vessel (SSV) KALI 3 at Asemoku Jetty, Delta State, today, 18 August 2026, to enhance the protection of critical energy infrastructure and Nigeria’s maritime interests.
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The induction ceremony was presided over by the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, in the presence of the Executive Governor of Delta State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. (Elder) Sheriff Francis Orohwedor Oborevwori, represented by the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Chief (Sir) Monday John Onyeme, FCA, alongside senior military officers, government officials, traditional rulers, maritime stakeholders and representatives of the private sector.

SSV KALI 3 is the first of 10 Security Support Vessels being provided by Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited (SEEPCO) under a Memorandum of Agreement with the Nigerian Navy. The initiative reflects a strategic public-private partnership aimed at translating private-sector investment into tangible maritime security capability.

Notably, KALI 3 was designed and built in Nigeria at the Okpai HM Shipyard in Delta State, in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy, highlighting the growing contribution of indigenous shipbuilding capacity to national security and economic development.

Speaking at the occasion, the Chief of the Naval Staff emphasized that the protection of Nigeria’s maritime environment and critical energy assets is essential to sustaining economic activity, particularly the oil and gas sector. He commended SEEPCO for its commitment to the initiative and urged other responsible maritime stakeholders to support partnerships that advance national security.

The vessel is designed to support coastal and offshore security, interdiction, anti-piracy operations, maritime law enforcement and escort duties, with capabilities suited to Nigeria’s complex coastal and shallow-water environment.

The CNS charged the personnel assigned to operate KALI 3 to uphold the ighest standards of professionalism, discipline, integrity and operational readiness, while reaffirming the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to strengthening partnerships that enhance maritime security.

SEEPCO

The induction of KALI 3, as the first of the 10-vessel arrangement, represents a practical convergence of maritime security, indigenous

shipbuilding and private-sector investment in support of Nigeria’s strategic economic interests.

Signed Abiodun Folorunsho Navy Captain Director of Naval Information
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Nigerian Navy Disrupts Cross-Border, Hands Over 364 Bags of Foreign Rice to Customs

The Nigerian Navy has sustained its efforts to combat smuggling and other cross-border crimes along Nigeria’s maritime borders, with Forward Operating Base (FOB) BADAGRY intercepting 364 bags of foreign parboiled rice suspected to have been smuggled into the country.
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The seizures followed a series of intelligence-led operations conducted by personnel of FOB BADAGRY within its Area of Operations. The operations further demonstrate the Nigerian Navy’s continued contribution to protecting Nigeria’s maritime borders and safeguarding national economic interests.

The seized consignment, comprising 302 good bags and 62 damaged bags, was formally handed over to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Western Marine Command, on 18 August 2026 at FOB BADAGRY Jetty, in accordance with extant regulations and established procedures.

The successful interception and subsequent handover underscore the importance of sustained collaboration between the Nigerian Navy and other government agencies in countering smuggling and other forms of cross-border criminality.

The Nigerian Navy remains committed to maintaining effective maritime security and supporting relevant agencies in protecting Nigeria’s territorial waters, borders and economic interests.

Navy, Customs

The Service enjoins members of the public and maritime stakeholders to provide credible information that can assist security agencies in preventing and disrupting criminal activities within Nigeria’s maritime environment.

Signed

Abiodun Folorunsho

Navy Captain

Director of Naval Information
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Delta Deploys New Vessel to Secure Waterways, Assets Over Oil Theft

The Delta State Government has strengthened its maritime security operations by inducting a new security support vessel to help combat oil theft, illegal bunkering and other crimes on the state’s waterways.
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The vessel, SSV-KALI 3, was inducted on Tuesday at the Yade Barge, Niger River Bank, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of the state, by the Deputy Governor, Monday Onyeme, who represented Governor Sheriff Oborevwori at the ceremony.

Oborevwori said the deployment of the vessel would boost efforts to secure waterways and protect critical oil and gas infrastructure across the state.

The governor, in a statement at the event, said improved maritime security was essential to protecting investments, increasing production and creating a safer environment for businesses operating in the oil and gas sector, adding that the vessel would support security agencies in tackling oil theft, illegal bunkering and other activities that could undermine the state’s economy.

“SSV-KALI 3 will add valuable capacity to these efforts; it will strengthen maritime security, help protect oil and gas assets, and support the fight against oil theft, illegal bunkering and other maritime crimes,” Oborevwori said.

The governor noted that the vessel was particularly significant because it was designed and constructed in the state, describing it as evidence of the state’s technical expertise and industrial capacity.

He also commended the partnership between Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited and the Nigerian Navy, saying such collaboration demonstrated the importance of local content in strengthening Nigeria’s economy.

“This is an important occasion for SEEPCO, Delta State and Nigeria. We are celebrating not only a new security vessel, but also indigenous capacity, local content and a successful partnership between the private sector and the Nigerian Navy,” he said.

He added that the state government had been working with security agencies to improve intelligence sharing, coordination and rapid response, particularly around communities and waterways associated with oil and gas activities.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, said the induction highlighted the importance of strategic cooperation between the Nigerian Navy and private sector operators.

Abbas said such partnerships were necessary to protect Nigeria’s maritime environment, critical energy infrastructure and businesses operating within the nation’s waterways.

He assured private sector organisations that the Nigerian Navy remained willing to collaborate with credible partners to improve maritime security and protect the country’s maritime interests.

Navy

Earlier, a representative of SEEPCO, Raj Bhargava, said the vessel was delivered in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy to improve maritime safety and protect personnel working on the nation’s waterways.

The induction of SSV-KALI 3 is expected to strengthen security around Delta’s oil-producing communities and waterways, while supporting efforts to protect the infrastructure that drives economic activity in the state.
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