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NNS Unity, the second of the P18N OPVs built for Nigeria in China, seen at its last known location on the mouth of the Yangtze Delta north of Shanghai on 2 August 2015. (2016 CNES / Astrium / Google Earth)
Nigeria's NTA News channel has confirmed that the delivery of the second P18N offshore patrol vessel (OPV) that was built for the West African country in China has been delayed.
It broadcast footage on 17 April showing Defence Minister Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali meeting the management of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) during a visit to Beijing and said he intended "to resolve the issue with the second offshore patrol vessel they are building for Nigeria and agree on a timeline of delivery".
When the first OPV, NNS Centenary , arrived in Nigeria in February 2015, the then chief of the navy staff said the second, Unity , would arrive later that year.
A photograph emerged soon afterwards showing the nearly completed Unity at the Wuchang Shipbuilding yard in Hubei province. Google Earth satellite imagery shows it had left that yard by 29 July 2015 and was at another yard near Qidong in Jiangsu province on 2 August.
NTA News did not provide any further information about what has delayed Unity 's delivery or whether the issue has now been resolved.
The Nigerian defence minister also met with senior executives from Poly Technologies during his visit to China. He said that Nigeria had received about 30 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs) from the Chinese company. "Those vehicles are of great importance and they are being utilised by our armed forces in fighting terrorism," he said.
The Nigerian Army has been operating the company's CS/VP3 MRAP since at least 2014, making it the vehicle's second known export customer after Uganda. Some reports have claimed that Nigeria ordered 120 of the vehicles.
"They are quite satisfied with our equipment, our technology, and especially our people, and also of course our after-sales service," Lie Jianmin, a vice president at Poly Technologies, told NTA News before seemingly admitting there are problems with the company's equipment.
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http://www.janes.com/article/59729/delivery-of-nigeria-s-chinese-built-opv-delayed
