Coastal surveillance: Nigeria
Nigeria's coast concentrates the country's oil exports, its busiest ports and the entry points for much of its trade in a stretch of water plagued by piracy, bunkering and smuggling. Fixed coastal radar reaches only so far, and the gaps are exploited daily.
A coastline with more gaps than coverage
Coastal radar sees only to the horizon, and the spaces between stations are where illicit traffic moves. Passive radar adds coverage without emitting, extending the picture along the approaches while revealing nothing about sensor positions. Satellite vessel detection reaches out to the edge of the EEZ, and passive radar carries the picture in to the port approaches themselves. The layers combine into a continuous picture from the beach to the open sea.
A coast where every maritime threat overlaps
Nigeria's coastal problem is unusual for how many threats share the same water: piracy, oil bunkering, illegal fishing and smuggling all move through the Delta approaches and the export lanes at once. A single coastal picture therefore serves several agencies, avoiding the duplicated systems that fragment maritime awareness. Because the sensing is non-aligned, that shared picture is Nigeria's own, not a feed dependent on a foreign power.
How engagement works in Nigeria
Unstrat engages as an independent, non-aligned prime vendor with one accountable team, end-use certified equipment and in-region sustainment. A coastal programme is typically built to serve maritime security, fisheries and customs from one integrated picture rather than as separate procurements. The non-aligned position keeps Nigeria's maritime domain awareness under sovereign command.
One continuous picture from the beach to the open sea
Engagement begins with a briefing on where Nigeria's coastal coverage breaks down: the gaps between radar stations and the Delta approaches where illicit traffic slips through. Passive radar and satellite vessel detection are export-controlled, so clearances and end-use approvals are confirmed before any representation proceeds. Capability is matched to the operators' real conditions and deliberately scoped to serve maritime security, fisheries and customs from one integrated picture rather than fragmenting into separate procurements. Deployment is phased, layering sensing from the harbour outward, and sustained in-region so the picture stays reliable and sovereign. Localisation arrangements are scoped per programme, subject to export controls and end-use approvals. The advantage of continuous awareness is kept under national command to protect the trade the coast carries.
Relevant capability
Adjacent priorities in Nigeria
Nigeria's stretch of the Gulf of Guinea supports coastal communities and a fishing sector under sustained pressure from foreign industrial trawlers operating illegally in its exclusive economic zone. The same weak maritime picture that shelters piracy also lets unlicensed vessels strip the fishery beyond the horizon.
Problem pageThe Gulf of Guinea off Nigeria has been among the most dangerous waters in the world for seafarers, where armed boarding and kidnap-for-ransom raise insurance costs and deter the shipping the economy depends on. A busy oil-export coast and a maze of creek exits give attackers both targets and places to disappear.
Problem pageLagos and Nigeria's other ports concentrate the nation's trade in a small, exposed footprint that faces threats from the water, the air and the network at once. As the busiest gateway in West Africa, a disruption there ripples across the whole economy.
Problem pageRelevant solutions
Nigeria: security context
Nigeria's security environment turns on protecting economic lifelines under pressure: oil theft and pipeline vulnerability, piracy across the Gulf of Guinea, and a demanding counter-insurgency requirement. These priorities call for capability that works across sea, land and remote terrain at once.
One accountable, non-aligned partner gives Nigeria a coherent counterpart for those priorities: pipeline protection, maritime security and counter-insurgency support through a single channel, with transparent export-control handling. A defence ministry gains end-use certified equipment, in-region sustainment and localisation arrangements scoped per programme to match the mission and budget.
About this challenge
Coastal radar sees only so far, and gaps between stations are exploited daily. Passive radar that adds coverage without emitting, satellite vessel detection and satellite-data fisheries analytics extend the maritime picture from the beach to the edge of the EEZ.
Frequently asked questions
How does layered sensing close the gaps in Nigeria's coastal radar?
Passive radar extends coverage along the approaches without emitting, satellite detection reaches the edge of the EEZ, and non-emitting inshore coverage carries the picture in to the port approaches. Together they build a continuous picture from the beach to the open sea. We would welcome the chance to brief your team on integrating it across agencies.
Can one coastal picture serve several agencies?
Yes, and off Nigeria it should. Piracy, bunkering, illegal fishing and smuggling share the same water, so a single integrated picture serves maritime security, fisheries and customs rather than fragmenting into separate systems.
Who controls the coastal surveillance picture?
Nigeria does. The sensing comes from independent, non-aligned makers, so the maritime picture is owned and operated nationally rather than dependent on a foreign data feed.