By Sylva OBASI
Flotilla Academy of Marine Technology Ltd (FAMT), Nigeria’s pioneering indigenous maritime professional services firm, has formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Niger Delta University (NDU), Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, marking a watershed moment in the development of indigenous shipbuilding and marine technology in Nigeria.
PLATFORM REPORTERS gathered that the MOU, formalised through NDU’s Institute of Maritime Studies (IMS) and the Department of Marine Engineering, establishes a strategic joint venture for the design, construction, and commercialisation of a wide range of indigenous vessels.
Under the partnership, FAMT and NDU will combine world-class naval architecture and design expertise with the university’s academic resources and established boat-building workshop infrastructure to birth a new era of marine fabrication in the Niger Delta.
A New Chapter in Vessel Construction for the Niger Delta
The joint venture will design and build a comprehensive range of vessels addressing the diverse maritime needs of Nigeria’s inland waterways, coastline, and offshore domains.
These include: Passenger Ferries: To modernise inland waterway transportation across Nigeria’s river systems and creeks, providing safer and more reliable mass transit options for millions of Nigerians.
Yachts and Leisure Craft: To grow Nigeria’s nascent marine tourism and leisure economy, creating opportunities for indigenous boatbuilders and entrepreneurs.
Tour Boats: To open up the rich natural heritage of the Niger Delta, including its creeks, mangroves, and riverine communities, to eco-tourism and cultural tourism ventures.
Patrol Boats: To support maritime security operations by the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and other law enforcement agencies across Nigerian waters.
Landing Crafts: To facilitate logistics, supply chain operations, and the movement of personnel and equipment in shallow and coastal waters.
Fishing Trawlers: To support Nigeria’s artisanal and commercial fishing communities with purpose-built, locally constructed vessels adapted to Nigerian waterway conditions.
The partnership will leverage FAMT’s extensive vessel design portfolio — spanning hard chine planing hulls, catamaran platforms, trawler families, and large inland waterway vessels — alongside NDU’s academic and workshop capabilities to ensure that every vessel built under this initiative is truly indigenous in conception, design, and execution.
Voice of the University: A Vision for Practical Excellence
“We are deeply delighted to welcome this landmark partnership with Flotilla Academy of Marine Technology. We believe, without reservation, that this collaboration will equip our students of marine engineering with the kind of practical, hands-on knowledge that cannot be found in textbooks alone — the knowledge that comes from actually designing and building vessels that will ply our waters.
“Beyond the university, we are convinced that this joint venture will not simply transform boat building in Bayelsa State — it will lay a firm and enduring foundation for the transformation of the entire marine and blue economy of the Niger Delta and, indeed, Nigeria as a whole.
“The Niger Delta is endowed with some of the most extensive and resource-rich waterways on the African continent. Niger Delta University is proud to be at the centre of that transformation”, Prof. Allen A. Agih, Vice-Chancellor, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State posited.
FAMT Ready to Hit the Ground Running
“I wish to express, on behalf of the Management and entire team of Flotilla Academy of Marine Technology, our profound gratitude and admiration for the visionary leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Allen Agih. His swift and enthusiastic embrace of this partnership proposal — and his unwavering commitment to seeing Niger Delta University play a central role in Nigeria’s maritime renaissance — speaks volumes of his dedication to impactful, practical education.
“FAMT will hit the ground running. We have the designs, the expertise, the network, and — most importantly — the passion to make this venture a resounding success. We are determined that the vessels built under this partnership will be a source of pride not just for Niger Delta University and FAMT, but for every Nigerian who has ever believed that we can build world-class maritime assets on our own soil, with our own hands, and for our own people”, Commodore Kingsley Nwokenna (Rtd), Director of Stakeholders Engagement, Flotilla Academy of Marine Technology Ltd, stated.
A Template for Nigeria’s Blue Economy
The FAMT-NDU partnership is widely expected to serve as a national template for how Nigeria’s universities and maritime professional services firms can collaborate to drive indigenous vessel production, build domestic technical capacity, and position Nigeria as a hub of marine manufacturing in sub-Saharan Africa.
By anchoring the joint venture within the Niger Delta — the heartland of Nigeria’s waterway culture and riverine heritage — the initiative also directly addresses the long-standing disconnect between the region’s maritime potential and its economic development.
The production of ferries, yachts, tour boats, patrol boats, landing crafts, and trawlers under the partnership will stimulate local supply chains, generate skilled employment for graduates and artisans, and contribute measurable value to Bayelsa State’s economy and the wider Niger Delta region.
FAMT’s Managing Director, Adakole Ejegbudu (AmRINA, ), a yacht designer with a decade of experience in vessel design and maritime policy advocacy, expressed confidence that the partnership would catalyse a new industrial awakening in Nigeria’s marine sector.
The MOU formalises a relationship built on shared values of practical development, indigenous enterprise, and the firm belief that the Nigerian blue economy’s enormous potential can only be unlocked through deliberate, structured investment in people and production capability.
About the Partners
Flotilla Academy of Marine Technology Ltd (FAMT) — RC 8137665 — is a Nigerian maritime professional services firm headquartered at 64 Ladoke Akintola Boulevard, Garki II, Abuja, with presence in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos.
FAMT’s work spans naval architecture and vessel design, maritime professional training, blue economy policy advocacy, and indigenous shipbuilding development.
FAMT holds international affiliations with Practical Boat Design and Seamanship International PBDSI (Spain), and MaxBoat Corporation (Philippines).
Niger Delta University (NDU) is a federal university located on Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Through its Institute of Maritime Studies (IMS) and the Department of Marine Engineering, NDU is committed to producing world-class graduates equipped for practical service in Nigeria’s maritime and blue economy sectors.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Allen A. Agih, has championed a forward-looking vision for the university’s role in the economic transformation of the Niger Delta.
