The
Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Thunder, is to return to Lagos on Dec. 18,
after successfully taking part in a multinational exercise in Australia,
a statement said.
The statement was issued on Friday in Abuja, signed by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Kabir Aliyu.It would be recalled that the ship left Nigeria on Aug. 8 to participate in the Royal Australian Navy International Fleet Review.
The statement quoted Aliyu as saying that during the ship’s outbound journey to Australia, it made port calls at Luanda in Angola and Cape Town in South Africa.
He stated that other countries visited by the ship are: Port Louis in Mauritius, Freemantle, Jervis Bay and Sydney in Australia.
The director noted that the International Fleet Review, held between Oct. 3 and Oct. 11, featured the participation of ships from 17 countries.
He added that NNS THUNDER was the only naval ship from Africa that participated in the International Fleet Review.
The director said that the ship made port calls at Albany, Port Louis, Durban and Walvis Bay when it was returning, from where it was expected to stop at Port Noir before arriving in Lagos.
“All together, the ship will have been
outside the shores of the country for four months and 10 days, of which
1,834 hours was spent underway covering 22,614 nautical miles.
“The voyage to Australia has afforded the crew an opportunity to
train and bond together as an efficient and effective fighting force.“Similarly, it has positively shaped the international perception of Nigeria by showcasing the goodwill, strategic credentials and potential of the country as a littoral nation.’’
The naval information director noted that “in appreciation of the heroic voyage of NNS Thunder, which brought honour to Nigeria and Africa, the Nigerian Navy is planning a reception for the ship at NNS Beecroft, Naval Base, Apapa, on arrival on Dec.18.”
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