Nigerian Charts Open Safe Navigation to Calabar and Bakassi Deep Seaport

Chiemelie Ezeobi

Maritime traffic heading into Calabar and the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport will now operate using newly issued Nigerian Electronic Nautical Charts (ENCs), as part of measures to strengthen safety along the country’s eastern coastal approaches.

The development follows the release of three IC-ENC-validated chart cells — NG455150 (Jamestown), NG525190 (Queenstown to Ikot Abasi), and NG542550 (Ports of Calabar) — produced by the National Hydrographic Agency (NHA) for mandatory use by mariners navigating through the eastern channel up to the inner port limits.

After the successful validation by NHA, the newly released ENCs will enhance safety of navigation, improve situational awareness for mariners, and supports more efficient port operations and maritime trade.

It also reflects Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the nation’s continued commitment to delivering accurate, modern, and internationally compliant hydrographic services in line with #SOLAS, #IMO, and #IHO standards, strengthening the nation’s maritime safety architecture and advancing the Blue Economy.

The charts provide digital navigational coverage that brings together current information on water depths, seabed conditions, navigational hazards, aids to navigation and harbour facilities.

They are designed to support safe passage into Calabar Port and the planned Bakassi Deep Seaport and were derived from a high-resolution survey of the Calabar–Bakassi axis conducted to international standards comparable to IHO S-44 Order 1 for busy approaches and harbour entrances.

The NHA said the expanded chart output is the result of increased deployment of specialised naval survey vessels and the expertise of its trained personnel.

Commenting on the effort, the Hydrographer of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Rear Admiral Ayo Olugbode, said, “the sea is our largest unexplored resource, and if we don’t map it, we can’t manage it.” He noted that beyond improving navigational safety, the charts are essential to unlocking the productive exploitation and development of Nigeria’s blue economy.

Rear Admiral Olugbode also stated that the focus on charting strategic maritime corridors such as Lagos, Calabar and the Bonny axis reflects their importance within the NHA’s phased mapping programme.

He disclosed that these efforts contribute to the more than 85,325 square kilometres of Nigeria’s maritime domain already mapped, describing the Calabar sector as a key component in a wider ENC framework intended to minimise navigational risks for vessels bound for Nigerian ports.

The hydrographic survey that informed the new charts formally began on 21 December 2024, with intensive data acquisition starting on 6 January 2025.

The exercise involved combined hydrographic, geophysical and geotechnical measurements, supported by advanced NHA survey and data-processing systems.

The resulting ENCs replace older chart products with modern digital versions integrated into global ENC networks, providing current seabed, depth and navigational data for access to Calabar and the future Bakassi Deep Seaport.

He said the charting initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and strengthens Nigeria’s standing as a hydrographic leader in the region, while offering direct support to Calabar Port operations and the Bakassi Deep Seaport project.

At the twin events marking the 2025 World Hydrography Day and the maiden West African Hydrographic Summit in Abuja, Rear Admiral Olugbode identified the Lagos–Calabar corridor and the Bonny axis survey as central elements of President Tinubu’s blue economy agenda, which links hydrography with safe navigation, economic growth, regional leadership and sustainability.

Through the release of these ENCs, Nigeria reinforces its position as West Africa’s hydrographic powerhouse by pairing detailed seabed mapping with training, regional data sharing and the establishment of a new ENC regional office.

The effort supports safer navigation, long-term growth in maritime revenue and brings Nigeria’s seabed mapping in line with the UN Decade of Ocean Science and the Seabed 2030 Initiative.