THE USS Hershel Woody Williams, the first us Navy ship permanently assigned to Africa, arrived in Lagos on as part of the US Government's effort to suppress piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, reports Bloomberg.
'Ship visits like this one clearly demonstrate the US's continued dedication to our partners in the Gulf of Guinea as they strive for the security of their resources, their economy, and their people,' said US Consul General in Lagos Claire Pierangelo.
West Africa loses about 800,000 tons of fish a year, worth almost US$2 billion in gross revenue, to illegal activities by both foreign and domestic vessels, Ms Pierangelo said. This removes vast seafood protein from the region.
Nigerian waters are at the centre of the Gulf of Guinea, a vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean stretching from Senegal to Angola that's the most dangerous part of the world for sailors, accounting for almost all kidnappings at sea in recent years.
'We're here to train and work with the Nigerian Navy on anti-piracy, tactics, techniques, and procedures,' Hershel 'Woody' Williams Captain Chad Graham said.
USS Hershel 'Woody' Williams is a expeditionary mobile base, a sub-variant of the Montford Point-class expeditionary transfer dock operated by the Navy's Military Sealift Command with predominantly civilian crews.
The US investments and donations to the Nigerian military are worth more than $559 million, part of which is the naval coast guard transfers renamed NNS Okpabana and NNS Thunder.
The Covid-19 outbreak and restrictions led to a surge in piracy levels, though that slowed this year and is expected to ease further as economies pick up.
SeaNews Turkey
'Ship visits like this one clearly demonstrate the US's continued dedication to our partners in the Gulf of Guinea as they strive for the security of their resources, their economy, and their people,' said US Consul General in Lagos Claire Pierangelo.
West Africa loses about 800,000 tons of fish a year, worth almost US$2 billion in gross revenue, to illegal activities by both foreign and domestic vessels, Ms Pierangelo said. This removes vast seafood protein from the region.
Nigerian waters are at the centre of the Gulf of Guinea, a vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean stretching from Senegal to Angola that's the most dangerous part of the world for sailors, accounting for almost all kidnappings at sea in recent years.
'We're here to train and work with the Nigerian Navy on anti-piracy, tactics, techniques, and procedures,' Hershel 'Woody' Williams Captain Chad Graham said.
USS Hershel 'Woody' Williams is a expeditionary mobile base, a sub-variant of the Montford Point-class expeditionary transfer dock operated by the Navy's Military Sealift Command with predominantly civilian crews.
The US investments and donations to the Nigerian military are worth more than $559 million, part of which is the naval coast guard transfers renamed NNS Okpabana and NNS Thunder.
The Covid-19 outbreak and restrictions led to a surge in piracy levels, though that slowed this year and is expected to ease further as economies pick up.
SeaNews Turkey
