Navy of Equatorial Guinea

Navy of Equatorial Guinea
Marina de guerra
Marine de guerre
Marinha de Guerra
Joint U.S.- Equatorial Guinea naval exercises off the coast of Equatorial Guinea on February 2, 2008. Behind the American landing craft 1655 sail three Guinean patrol boats, the first being the patrol boat Daphne and the other two being Isla de Corisco and Isla de Annobon.
Country Equatorial Guinea
BranchNavy
RoleProtection of waters of Equatorial Guinea
Size200 active personnel
Part ofArmed Forces of Equatorial Guinea
Garrison/HQ
Equipment1 frigate
1 corvette
1 dock landing ship
10 patrol Craft
Insignia
Ensign

The Navy of Equatorial Guinea (Spanish: Marina de guerra; French: Marine de guerre; Portuguese: Marinha de Guerra) is the maritime component of the Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea. Its main functions are anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Guinea and protecting the offshore oil and gas assets of the nation. The Navy has around 200 personnel.[1][2]

Overview

Members of the Equatorial Guinea Navy go over plans for a mock boarding during an exercise with the US Navy in 2008.

The Navy safeguards the 296 km maritime border of Equatorial Guinea. Its main purpose is to protect the nation's oil assets and prevent piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. The Russian and American navies have joint exercises with the Equatoguinean navy, besides the Obangame Express exercise in the Gulf of Guinea with 10 other nations. The navy is also used to patrol the Corisco bay islands which are claimed by both Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.[3][4][5][6]

The Navy partially built a 107-m long frigate, the Wele Nzas, in the dry dock in Malabo. The frigate was commissioned on June 3, 2014 by president Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and named after the Wele-Nzas Province. The ship was designed in Mykolaiv, Ukraine and built at Varna, Bulgaria. The outfitting was done at Malabo. The Wele Nzas was designated as the flagship of the Navy.[1][7]

The United States donated a 68 foot patrol boat, the Isla de Bioko (no longer operational) to the navy in 1988 to patrol its Exclusive Economic Zone. The Equatoguineans rely mainly on foreigners to operate the navy equipment it buys from foreign militaries.[8]

Ships and boats

Frigates

  • Wele Nzas, procured from Bulgaria and outfitted in Malabo.

Corvettes

  • Bata (OPV-88). 1,360 tonnes, 76mm gun main armament.

Dock landing ships

Patrol boats

References

  1. ^ a b "Equatorial Guinea commissions new frigate". defenceweb.co.za. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Equatorial Guinea". defenceweb.co.za. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  3. ^ "GABON'S GROWING NAVY". Center for International Maritime Security. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Russia, Equatorial Guinea agree on holding joint naval exercises". Russian News Agency TASS. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  5. ^ "HOW PEACEFUL IS THE SOUTH ATLANTIC?". Center for International Maritime Security. Archived from the original on 14 January 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Obangame Express 2014 Concludes". American Navy. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  7. ^ "HYUNDAI OFFERS GLIMPSE OF UPCOMING PHILIPPINE NAVY FRIGATES". Quwa Defence Analysis Group. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  8. ^ "EQUATORIAL GUINEA". state.gov. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Cameroon acquires new anti-piracy boats". defenceweb.co.za. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.