Nigerian energy conglomerate Aiteo Group has donated 50 vessels as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones) to the Nigerian Navy to combat the attacks on oil and gas facilities in the region.
The indigenous oil firm handed over 21 gunboats, 14 patrol boats and four high-speed interceptor boats to the Nigerian Navy in Port Harcourt on 4 August. Other equipment donated included seven houseboats, four airboats, long-range surveillance drones and six high-definition cameras.
It appears the vessels were manufactured in Vietnam by the Hong Ha Shipbuilding Company and James Boat. According to VietDefense, founder and CEO of Aiteo Group Benedict Peters ordered at least ten 15-metre-long armoured patrol boats from Hong Ha on behalf of Nigerian company Marine Assets and Offshore Equipment Limited. Peters has apparently invested $2 million into the Hong Ha Shipbuilding Company.
Another Vietnamese Company called JSC James Boat has also built vessels for Nigeria, with 50 NP-650 patrol boats delivered in December 2019. In early 2020, it emerged that James Boat was building at least ten more boats for Nigeria, and photos taken during a handover ceremony in Vietnam show the same NP-650 design as those donated last week by Aiteo.
Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo said the hardware would be deployed to creeks to fight oil theft, piracy and sea robbery.