The offshore patrol vessel “Furor” calls at the port of Lagos during its deployment

• The OPV 'Furor' has carried out activities of military cooperation, defense diplomacy, and socio-cultural engagement

The OPV 'Furor' has called at the Nigerian port of Lagos, making the second time that this Navy ship has docked at this port. Upon its arrival, the 'Furor' welcomed on board the Spanish ambassador to Nigeria, Juan Ignacio Sell Sanz, with the traditional 'salute to the voice', and carried out exercises at sea with two patrol boats and a special operations team from the Nigerian Navy.

During the stopover at the port of Lagos, different military cooperation activities have been carried out on board the OPV 'Furor". These included conferences on techniques for dealing with fires or floods on board, medical evacuation, lectures on the use of unmanned aerial systems such as the M5D-Airfox UAV in the maritime field, as well as procedures to counter an aerial drone threat with the 'Dron Defender' system.

Joint maritime interdiction operations (MIO) exercises have also been conducted, including a boarding exercise of an uncooperative ship to be searched, which is carried out by staff from the ship's visit and search team (TVR in Spanish), the embarked Marine Corps security operational team (EOS in Spanish) and a special operations team from the Nigerian Navy.

These activities have provided an excellent chance to foster closer ties between both navies, to enhance mutual understanding, and to promote the maritime capacity development of the coastal states to address threats to the maritime security of the Gulf of Guinea region.

Visits.

The Spanish Ambassador, accompanied by the Commander of the 'Furor' and a representation of the vessel's officers, visited the Admiral of the Nigerian Navy's Western Naval Command. During the visit there was a meeting with the media. Both the visit and the media interview allowed to thank the Nigerian authorities for the warm welcome received by the OPV 'Furor' as well as to make known the objectives of the ship's deployment in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Ambassador, the Commander and a delegation of 4 officers, along with the diplomatic delegation of the Spanish Embassy, visited the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, which once again allowed the importance of Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea region to be disseminated to both countries.  Both the ambassador and the ship's commander had the honour of delivering a speech in the NIIA chamber where they highlighted the importance of initiatives such as the EU's Coordinated Maritime Presence in the Gulf of Guinea, thus spreading the commitment of the Spanish Armed Forces to increase security in the region.

Reception on board.

The OPV 'Furor' organized a reception on board attended by the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria and Embassy staff, as well as a representation of local military and naval authorities. During the event, a solemn lowering of the national flag took place, followed by words of gratitude and welcome from the ship's commander.

In this way, the docking in Lagos of the OPV 'Furor', reinforced by the presence on board of the Spanish ambassador, contributes to the State's external action and projects a strong message of commitment from our country to the coastal countries of the Gulf of Guinea.

Combined patrol.

To conclude the activities with the Nigerian Navy, when the ship went to sea, a combined patrol between the two navies was carried out. After leaving the port of Lagos and within Nigerian territorial waters, maritime exercises and a boarding exercise were carried out with two units of the Nigerian Navy (patrol boats NNS "KANO" and NNS "NGURU"). For the boarding exercise, it was planned that one of the participating units, the OPV 'Furor', would simulate a vessel that had been pirated. Personnel from the Navy’s Operational Security Team and the Visiting and Reconnaissance Troop, along with the Nigerian Navy’s special operations unit, have composed the boarding team and have assaulted the ship, which in the exercise, the assistance of the personnel mentioned above, were required. The exercise, carried out in a safe and satisfactory manner, has allowed for bilateral knowledge and learning between both navies and the opportunity for both teams to cooperate towards a common goal, maritime surveillance and security.