[citation needed] Responsibilities included administration of the ports and harbours, dredging of channels, buoyage and lighting.

It also operated ferry services, touring launches, and other small craft that plied the various creeks and other inland waterways.

[7] The NN is currently structured into 9 Branches at the Naval Headquarters, 6 commands and a number of autonomous units.

The NN autonomous units include: The Naval Headquarters is the administrative and policy-making organ of the Nigerian Navy.

The branches are: Policy and Plans, Training and Operations,[8] Administration, Naval Engineering, Logistics, Accounts and Budget,[9] and Safety and Standards.

[13] The Statutory duty of the Officer is to formulate and execute policies towards the highest attainment of National Security and operational competence of the Nigerian Navy.

[14] The current Chief of Naval Staff is Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, who was appointed on 19 June 2023, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed Gambo.

Prominent among the autonomous units is the Nigerian Naval Dockyard, located in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The Naval Dockyard in Lagos, which was commissioned on 27 August 1990, now takes care of high level maintenance, such as major overhaul of ships engines, additions and alterations, and modification of designs.

For quite some time, the Squadron has operated Agusta 109 Helicopters from Warri Naval Base on anti-smuggling and oil protection duties.

It is predominantly focused on, but not restricted to; littoral and riverine operations, including reconnaissance and surveillance; covert beach reconnaissance in advance of an amphibious assault; recovery or protection of ships and oil installations subject to hostile state or non-state action; maritime counter-terrorism; and offensive action.

[24] On 21 April 2020, ten SBS commandos boarded the Tommi Ritscher,[25] a container ship captured by pirates off the shore of Benin.

In October 2018, Paramount Maritime Holding, a South African-based defense company revealed that the Nigerian Navy has placed an order for 15 new build Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIB).

These units achieve speeds of 40 Knots and can transport up to 18 naval personnel inside is armoured cabin and has been used since his delivery for the protection of strategic facilities along the Nigerian coastal area.

On 10 December 2021, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned 118 newly acquired ships and boats, including a helicopter, as part of his administration's drive to boost the capacity of the Nigerian Navy.

Presently in possession of the Nigerian Navy is a MEKO 360 Type H1 frigate, NNS Aradu, which completed a refit in 2020 and will undergo refurbishment at Dearsan Shipyards in Turkiye.

The NNS Aradu will serve as a combat training ship for Nigeria's acquisition of a new light frigate from Dearsan Shipyards.

[35] Other pending acquisitions of the Nigerian Navy include 3x 46metres patrol vessels from Poly Technologies in China, 1x 35metres Offshore Survey Vessel and from Ocean Shipyards in France, 2x 46metres Seaward Defence boats from Naval Dockyard Limited, Nigeria and a second LST-100 from Damen Shipyards in UAE.

[37] [56] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Coast Guard.