Maritime Chart Production: UK Hydrographic Office Lauds Nigerian Navy
By Emergency Digest,
The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has acknowledged the strides made by the Nigerian Navy (NN) in maritime chart production, Maj. Gen. John Enenche, has said.
Enenche, Coordinator of the Defence Media Operations (DMO), disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
This is even as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, had already commended NN for the production of the second designed chart of some parts of Nigerian waters by the Nigerian Navy Hydrographic Office (NNHO).
The new chart covers parts of Badagry Creek, from Ogunkobo, through Navy Town and Mile 2 to Tin-Can Island in Lagos waters. Work on the chart started in 2019.
Enenche said, the UKHO has approved the gradual hand over of the survey data covering Nigerian waters which are held in their archive, while also adopting NNHO’s charts rather than producing new ones.
“This is a confirmation that NNHO’s nautical products meet international (IHO) standards. The NNHO wishes to maintain this standard to facilitate safety of navigation within Nigerian waters and seamless takeover of the charting functions of Nigerian waters from UKHO,” he added.
Read Also:
According to the DMO Coordinator, “In the last one year, the NNHO has produced a number of nautical products which are currently used by Nigerian Navy ships and establishments. These include harbour chart of Nigerian Navy Ship BEECROFT and Nigerian Naval Dockyard Limited water fronts, port guide of Lagos harbour and operations charts of the entire Eastern Naval Command. Others are maneuvering sheets for tactical navigation and a number of training charts among others.”
Meanwhile, Gen. Olonisakin, in a congratulatory message to the Chief of Naval Staff, officers and ratings of the NNHO, expressed profound delight in the fact that the recent products of the NNHO, harbour and operational charts, are certified and recognized by international institutions.
He said, “This achievement is coming at a time when the need to utilize indigenous resources has been underscored by recent global events.”
Emergency Digest, gathered that with the completion of the chart, the NNHO has now commenced work on its electronic version which will be forwarded to the International Centre for Electronic Navigational Charts for validation and release.
In line with the coordination role of the NN in Hydrography, the NNHO is also currently developing a harmonized Standard Operating Procedures to guide all hydrographic survey activities conducted in Nigerian waters by private survey companies and sister government agencies. This would ensure that data received from any of these survey companies/government agencies are accurate enough to be included in a chart.
