For the first time, 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 followed 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.
According to the Hydrographer of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of NHA, Rear Admiral Ayo Olugbode (Rtd), it also reflected Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the country’s continued commitment to delivering accurate, modern, and internationally compliant hydrographic services in line with #SOLAS, #IMO, and #IHO standards, strengthening the country’s maritime safety architecture and advancing the blue economy.
Olugbode said the charts provided digital navigational coverage that brought together current information on water depths, seabed conditions, navigational hazards, aids to navigation, and harbour facilities.
He stated, “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 chief executive said the expanded chart output was the result of increased deployment of specialised naval survey vessels and the expertise of its trained personnel.
Olugbode stated, “The sea is our largest unexplored resource, and if we don’t map it, we can’t manage it.”
He said beyond improving navigational safety, the charts were essential to unlocking the productive exploitation and development of Nigeria’s blue economy.
Olugbode also stated that the focus on charting strategic maritime corridors, such as Lagos, Calabar and the Bonny axis, reflected their importance within NHA’s phased mapping programme.
He disclosed that the efforts contributed 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 December 21, 2024, with intensive data acquisition starting on January 6, 2025.
The exercise involved combined hydrographic, geophysical and geotechnical measurements, supported by advanced NHA survey and data-processing systems.
The resulting ENCs replaced 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 aligned with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and strengthened 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, Olugbode identified the Lagos–Calabar corridor and the Bonny axis survey as central elements of Tinubu’s blue economy agenda, which linked hydrography with safe navigation, economic growth, regional leadership and sustainability.
Through the release of the ENCs, Nigeria reinforced its position as West Africa’s hydrographic powerhouse.
