To ensure safety of mariners using the Calabar-Bakassi channel, Nigeria has deployed three newly produced Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) validated by the International Centre for Electronic Navigational Charts (IC-ENC).

The charts, NG455150 (Jamestown), NG525190 (Queenstown to Ikot Abasi), and NG542550 (Ports of Calabar), will boost marine transportation and safety as more vessels influx are expected with the planned Bakassi Deep Seaport.

Also, this developments means that Nigeria will no longer seek amd await clearance from Cameroon for vessels navigating inward and outside the channels.

Announcing the feat, the National Hydrographic Agency (NHA), noted that all vessels traversing Nigeria’s coastal approaches through the eastern channel up to the inner port limits would rely on the Nigerian-produced ENCs.

The charts, it said, provide modern digital coverage and present mariners with an integrated and up-to-date picture of water depths, seabed features, navigational hazards, aids to navigation and harbour infrastructure essential for safe passage to Calabar and the future Bakassi Deep Seaport.

According to the Hydrographer of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer, NHA, Rear Admiral Ayo Olugbode, said the charts were produced from a recent high-resolution survey of the Calabar-Bakassi axis conducted to international standards and comparable to IHO S-44 Order 1 for busy approaches and harbour entrances.

“The survey process formally commenced on 21 December 2024, with intensive data acquisition beginning on 6 January 2025. The work combined hydrographic, geophysical and geotechnical measurements using advanced NHA survey and processing capabilities.

“The sea is our largest unexplored resource, and if we don’t map it, we can’t manage it,” said Olugbode.

He stressed that the production of critical navigational charts not only enhances safety in Nigerian waters but also assures the productive exploitation and development of the nation’s blue economy.

Olugbode further affirmed that chart production for Lagos, Calabar and the Bonny axis forms part of the phased mapping strategy of the NHA, underscoring the priority accorded to those areas.

He disclosed that over 85,325 square kilometres of Nigeria’s maritime domain has been mapped to date, with the Calabar sector identified as a critical link in a wider network of ENCs designed to lower navigational risk for ships heading to Nigerian ports.

The newly released ENCs replaced legacy products with modern digital charts integrated into global ENC networks, providing up-to-date depth, seabed and navigation information.

“The initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, strengthens Nigeria’s status as a regional hydrographic leader and directly supports the Bakassi Deep Seaport project and Calabar Port operations,” he added. (The Nation)