Peter Uzoho
On a humid Monday morning at Asemoku Jetty, the water parted and a 40-metre grey-hulled vessel slid forward to meet its name. SSV Kali 3. No imported steel plate. No foreign builder’s stamp. This one was designed and built in Nigeria, by a Nigerian energy company, for Nigerian waters.
When the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, presided over her induction on Monday, August 18, 2026, it was more than an inauguration. It was the unveiling of a new model for funding and delivering maritime security: private-sector money, indigenous shipbuilding, and naval operations fused into one vessel.
Kali 3 is the first of 10 Security Support Vessels being provided by Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited, (SEEPCO), under a Memorandum of Agreement with the Nigerian Navy. The entire Kali Series was designed and built by SEEPCO at the Okpai HM Shipyard in Delta State, in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy.
The ceremony was attended by Delta State Deputy Governor, Chief Monday Onyeme, representing Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, alongside senior military officers, government officials, traditional rulers and maritime stakeholders. Also, Sterling Oil’s management was represented by the Head of Business Development & Community,
Raj Bhargava and the Security Chief, Sandeep Singh.
“Protection of Nigeria’s maritime environment and critical energy assets is essential to sustaining economic activity, particularly the oil and gas sector,” Abbas said. He commended SEEPCO “for its commitment to the initiative” and urged other responsible maritime stakeholders to support partnerships that advance national security.
Built in the Delta, For the Gulf
At 40 metres long, Kali 3 is compact enough for shallow creeks yet robust enough for offshore work. That balance is deliberate. Nigeria’s coastline is not just deep-water shipping lanes. It is estuaries, mangroves and channels where crude thieves and pirates operate. A vessel with about a 2.5-metre draft can go where bigger warships cannot.
The Navy described her as “a next-generation Security Patrol Vessel, proudly designed and built in Nigeria to the highest applicable international standards for vessels of its class.” The design was developed under Bureau Veritas rules, with structural integrity verified through Bureau Veritas classification. She is ISO certified, part of the IMO-certified SSV series, and equipped for operations within Sea Area 3 under the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.
She is also built to stay. With operational autonomy of 10 to 12 days, onboard fuel, freshwater production, laundry, galley and air-conditioned accommodation, Kali 3 can remain on station without frequent returns to base. Noise and vibration insulation, ergonomic bunks with safety straps, and a dedicated sewage treatment plant for MARPOL compliance reflect attention to crew welfare.
Eyes, Ears, and Escort Duties
Inside the bridge are DGPS, GPS Compass, S-band radar and AIS. For long-range communication there is Inmarsat-C, MF/HF DSC Class A radio, VHF DSC, EPIRB and SART. Two RHIBs are mounted for rapid boarding.
Her mandate is direct: coastal and offshore security, interdiction, anti-piracy operations, maritime law enforcement, and escort duties. Specifically, the protection of crude oil tankers, LNG carriers and offshore supply vessels operating within Nigeria’s maritime domain.
That is why SEEPCO stepped in. As a fast-growing exploration and production company, SEEPCO knows that insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea translates directly to lost production, damaged infrastructure and higher costs.
“Through its operations, people and partnerships, Sterling Oil continues to power progress, create impact and contribute to a more sustainable future,” the company said. It noted that the Kali Series reflects its responsibility to support maritime security and the protection of critical energy infrastructure, while also growing Nigeria’s indigenous shipbuilding capability.
Since emerging from the 2005 licensing round, SEEPCO has moved from exploration to first oil in a short time. Its CSR and Community Development Programme already covers water, electrification, education, healthcare and skills. Kali 3 extends that commitment to security.
A Partnership That Floats
Abbas charged the crew to uphold “the highest standards of professionalism, discipline, integrity and operational readiness,” while reaffirming the Navy’s commitment to partnerships that enhance maritime security.
The induction represents what the Navy called “a practical convergence of maritime security, indigenous shipbuilding and private-sector investment in support of Nigeria’s strategic economic interests.”
For decades Nigeria has relied on imported patrol boats. Building the Kali Series locally at Okpai changes that equation. It creates jobs for welders, engineers and naval architects in Delta, and it proves that a Nigerian shipyard can deliver a class-compliant, 40-metre security vessel to international standards.
“The vessel has been developed for maritime security and escort operations,” the Navy stated, “and demonstrates Nigeria’s growing capacity to deliver advanced maritime platforms locally, combining international marine engineering expertise with indigenous shipbuilding capability”.
Why Ten Vessels Matter
Kali 3 is hull number one. Nine more are to follow under the SEEPCO-Navy agreement. If delivered to the same specification, the 10-vessel fleet will give the Navy distributed presence across the Niger Delta and the wider Gulf of Guinea.
Nigeria loses billions annually to oil theft and pipeline vandalism. Operations like Delta Sanity have helped, but the geography demands persistent presence. A fleet of shallow-draft, long-endurance patrol vessels that can escort, board and remain at sea for nearly two weeks alters that calculation.
The Delta State Government’s presence at the induction signals another layer: host-community buy-in. Security that protects oil assets must also speak to the communities that live with the impact of that industry.
From Okpai to the Fleet
As the ceremony ended, Kali 3 prepared for operational deployment. She leaves Asemoku not just as a ship, but as proof of concept. A 40-metre vessel designed and built by SEEPCO, inducted by the Navy, and tasked with guarding the economic lifeline of the nation.
For the Navy, it is more hulls without waiting solely on budget cycles. For SEEPCO, it is securing the environment in which it produces. For Nigeria, it is the beginning of a fleet built at home, for home waters.