Given that the blue economy is centered on trade and actions around large bodies of water ranging from rivers to oceans, Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that the recently commemorated 2021 World Hydrography Day provided ample opportunity to highlight the import of hydrography to the project and the Nigerian Navy’s role in actualising it
The blue or marine economy is the ecosystem of economic activities centred on trade and actions around large bodies of water ranging from rivers to oceans. When this is managed effectively, it yields better dividends given that over 90 per cent of the world’s trade is conducted by the sea, and this is by far, the most cost-effective way to move large quantity of goods and raw materials around the world.
Globally, the economy of nations have been hugely dependent on various maritime activities. Daily, about 180,000 vessels take to sea and 30 million tons of goods are ferried across the world; ports are built, coastal infrastructure are developed, coasts are defended, marine environmental plans are implemented.
For all these things to happen, the hydrographer is key as without their services by providing charts and other nautical publications, voyages through the sea would have become a nightmare to captains of ships who need to move goods and services from one part of the world to the other in a safe and economical way.
Essentially, hydrography is the science of the measurement, description, and mapping of the surface waters of the earth, with special reference to their use for navigation.
However, hydrography not only deals in understanding the physical features of water bodies, but also plans economic development, security and defence, scientific research, and environmental protection related to it and this was done through making of charts to aid navigation by mariners as they navigated across the water.
Role of Nigerian Navy in Hydrography
Over the years, the Nigerian Navy (NN), in line with her constitutional roles, has been building both human and material capabilities to enable her provide hydrographic services that meets international standard. These efforts have paid off.
In recent times, Nigerian Navy Hydrographic Office (NNHO) ramped up its hydrographic capabilities with several first-of-its-kind products to support Nigeria’s Blue Economy project. This was seen during the last World Hydrography Day (WHD) when the NNHO published the first indigenous navigational chart ever produced by Nigeria; NG 2501 (Lagos Harbour Chart) with much fanfare.
According to the Hydrographer of the Navy, Rear Admiral Emeka Okafor during the 2019 WHD, “this feat completed Nigeria’s hydrographic capacity development as required by the IHO”. The navy has gone on to achieve other feats in the field.
This year, they again ramped up its boost for hydrography with the recent acquisition of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) LANA. Over the years, the capacity of the NN to conduct hydrographic surveys that would assure safety of naval and merchant traffic at sea was significantly hampered by the absence of a hydrographic ship in its fleet.
That gap was what the newly acquired hydrographic vessel, NNS LANA, a first ever purpose-built Offshore Survey Vessel, is geared to provide by improving reliable hydrographic data and information as a critical component in the projection of naval power for enhanced maritime security in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea at large.
Essentially, the vessel would also afford Nigeria with the opportunity of keying into the General Bathymetric Charts of the Oceans (GEBCO) Seabed 2030 project and the Global Multi-Resolution Topography (GMRT) synthesis project which would ultimately facilitate Nigeria’s accomplishment of its obligation under SOLAS Convention.
During a recent brief tour of NNS LANA at the jetty of NNS BEECROFT in Apapa, Lagos, by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Jason Gbassa and Hydrographer of the Navy, the Executive Officer, Commander Oladipo Giwa, reeled out the capabilities of the vessel to include navigation, communication, hydrography and engineering.
At the bridge, he showed the senior officers all four sections, as well as the dry and wet labs where samples are analysed. According to him, the ship has capability to conduct hydrographic/ oceanographic operation/ research, patrol duties, search and rescue, diving operation and helicopter operation just to mention a few.
World Hydrography Day
Given the huge import of hydrography to nations, a day- June 21, is mapped out to commemorate it. This year, the World Hydrography Day was themed “100 Years Of International Cooperation in Hydrography” and it was marked globally via virtual means.
According to Wikipedia, in 1921, the International Hydrographic Bureau came into existence with the sole purpose of providing a safe mechanism for consultation between governments on matters related to safe navigation, technical standards and protection. In 1970, the name International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) was coined.
However, in 2005, IHO came up with the idea of World Hydrography Day to celebrate the work of hydrographers. This idea was welcomed by the United Nations General Assembly in resolution A/RES/60/30 Oceans and the law of the sea. Therefore, the date 21 June was chosen in order to mark the anniversary of the founding of the IHO.
Import of Hydrography to Blue Economy
Granted, the import of hydrography to the actualisation of the blue economy cannot be understated. To mark the WHD this year, the navy held a hybrid meeting across the nation. In his virtual address, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, stressed on the importance of hydrography to the actualisation of the nation’s Blue Economy Project.
The CNS said hydrography would equip the NN with faster survey and chart coverage of Nigeria‘s waters towards facilitating a more robust maritime activity for security and economic growth of the nation.
He said: “Through hydrography, Nigeria’s inland waters, which connect the Atlantic Ocean via over 25 river entrances can be opened for transportation of goods and services for export towards enhancing Nigeria’s economy. Additionally, effective hydrographic practice will ensure adequate chart coverage of about 84,000 square nautical miles of Nigeria’s territorial waters. This will ultimately provide up-to-date products to drive Nigeria’s Blue Economy Project including support for safe conduct of mariner’s activities.”
Adding that hydrographic applications have increasingly shifted from safety of navigation for marine transport to other activities that facilitate sustainable use of the ocean for economic growth, he noted that they include “offshore wind farming, coastal zone management, blue economy, as well as offshore exploration and exploitation of mineral resources among others. These activities require a great deal of both national and international collaborations at various stages for maximum benefits to be derived from”.
Global Co-operation
On why he considers this year’s WHD, which, marked the 100 years of international cooperation in Hydrography as apt for Nigeria, the CNS said the dwindling economic fortunes of the world elucidates a rethink towards economic diversification in Nigeria, using hydrography as a critical enabler.
Noting that this calls for more purposeful international and national cooperation among all stakeholders in the field of hydrography, he stressed that “through international cooperation in Hydrography with the UK, Nigeria has been able to sustain all forms of maritime activities that support over 96 percent of Nigeria’s seaborne trade.
“Further, international cooperation with India and the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) has helped Nigeria, particularly its Navy to build human capacity in Hydrography and develop standards for hydrographic survey and charting”.
He stated that these international cooperations and the Nigerian Navy’s engagements, with other hydrographic industry’s players in Nigeria enabled the country produce its indigenous navigational charts and nautical publications in 2019.
“This feat placed Nigeria on the international map of chart producing nations. There are two paper charts and three calls of Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) indigenously produced by the Nigerian Navy, which are currently supporting safety of Navigation in Nigerian waters,” he said.
Gambo posited that the recent addition of the state of the art 60-meter Hydrographic Survey Vessel NNS LANA to the NN’s inventory would improve hydrographic service delivery to mariners within Nigerian waters, adding that “already, discussions are ongoing with the Nippon Foundation/GEBCO for Nigeria’s participation in the Seabed 2030 Project. This is aimed at facilitating Nigeria’s fulfilment of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, which deals with sustainable use of the oceans, sea and marine resources”.
He further revealed that the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM) were in partnership for the opening up of the nation’s inland waters for improved maritime business, through hydrographic survey and charting, adding that “on the national scene, improved cooperation, in form of data sharing and joint surveys, is envisaged between the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) among others.
“This underscores the indispensabiity of cooperation in hydrographic industry for better and up-to-date hydrographic service delivery to mariners, towards safety of navigation and economic prosperity”.
Hydrographic Upgrade for Nigeria
In an interview afterwards, the Hydrographer of the Navy, Rear Admiral Okafor said efforts were also on by the navy to boost hydrographic development in the country through the upgrade of NN Hydrographic School in order to get accredited by the International Hydrography Organisation (IHO) that will enable them build required manpower both in the military and civil spaces.
According to him, plans to ensure the country’s entire maritime space was charted commenced with the acquisition of NNS LANA, a specialised hydrographic ship with capabilities to perform defence and security roles.
“The plan to ensure the entire nation’s water is charted started with the acquisition of this vessel (NNS LANA) you are onboard now. The charts that have been produced were done with smaller boats that can operate within inland waters.
Those boats were used to acquire the data that was used to produced those charts.
“Because those boats cannot safely operate at offshore areas, this vessel was acquired and before it arrived, the hydro office had developed national charting plan that shows how charts can be produced to cover Nigeria’s maritime space.
So, one after the other, those plans would be implanted using this vessel. The plan is to out- phase that of the UK done over 100 years ago because every nation is responsible for charting of its coastal and offshore waters.
“UK was doing it because it was like a stop-gap measure. We didn’t have the capacity and now that we do, we will gradually take over from them. As a matter of fact, we have started. If you check the International Chart Catalogue now, ICENC, you will discover that the Lagos Harbour Chart used to be from UK.
“But because we have produced this chart, it has replaced the UK’s now. There are plans to acquire more vessels. As I talk to you now, contract has been awarded for a 35-metre vessel that can work side by side with NNS LANA. I am sure with availability of funds, as that one is coming, more will be acquired,” he said.
On complaints by mariners that there were no navigation aids along the Lagos channel, Okafor said that had been addressed, adding that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) completed buoy placements about two weeks ago and that the channel had both paper and electronic charts which ships can request through the unit’s website.
“The lectures we had from the just concluded World Hydrography Day event clearly brought out that one entity alone cannot survey and chart a nation’s water. So as regards Nigeria, you have the Nigerian Ports Authority who maintains the harbour and port approaches; Nigeria Inland Waterways (NIWA) also handles the inland waterways as well as NIMASA.
“Efforts are ongoing to harness the charting and surveying capabilities of all of these agencies so that when they survey, they process the data with Nigerian Navy Hydrographic office who will use same to produce a chart for the nation,” he said.
