On June 6, 2023, the Nigerian Naval Forces Command and DEARSAN Shipyard signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja, Nigeria, for the half-life modernization of the Nigerian Navy’s flagship, the frigate NNS ARADU (F89), with the participation of the Commander of the Nigerian Naval Forces, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, and the Chairman of DEARSAN, Aziz Yıldırım.
The project will modernize the old generation and disused systems of the frigate NNS ARADU (F89), built by the German shipyard Blohm & Voss and commissioned in 1982, by repairing or replacing them with equivalent systems. The modernization of the MEKO 360-class NNS ARADU frigate, with a length of 125 meters and a displacement of 3,500 tons, is being carried out by the DEARSAN shipyard in Istanbul.
Under the same contract, DEARSAN will also deliver a 57-meter Tuzla-class patrol vessel to the Nigerian Navy. This makes the Nigerian Navy the fourth user of Tuzla-class patrol vessels after the Naval Forces of Turkey and Turkmenistan and the Turkmen Coast Guard.
Nigerian Defense Minister Magashi and Nigerian Naval Forces Commander Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo during the keel laying ceremony, held Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, under the auspices of Nigerian Defense Minister Bashir Salihi Magashi, for two 76-meter OPV-76 offshore patrol vessels being built for Nigeria by DEARSAN Shipyard. Gambo inspected the Tuzla-class patrol vessel, which was built for Libya in 2022 but was docked without its weapons and sensors, and received information from the authorities.
At that time, it was noteworthy that the Nigerian flag was covered on the Tuzla-class patrol boat, whose construction was completed in 2022 for the Libyan Navy but is waiting at the pier without its weapons and sensors. It is expected that the boat will be equipped in the coming days according to the wishes of the Nigerian Navy.