The MV Hezekiah and MV Lady Dora were constructed by Veecraft Marine in South Africa for Eni.

The company said that the two vessels will protect offshore assets of Eni subsidiary the Nigerian AGIP Exploration company and that the security patrol vessels can also provide replenishment of crews, fuel, and potable water to the NAE offshore facilities.

NAE was incorporated in 1996 by Eni to manage Nigerian deep offshore exploration and production assets.

NAE has interests in six offshore blocks in Nigeria, both as operator (OML 125, OML 134, OPL 2009 and OPL 245) and non-operator (OML 118 and OML 135).

The move to increase the security of oil and gas of assets with offshore security patrol vessels comes at a time of volatility in Nigeria where militants have attacked oil workers and production facilities several times in recent months, resulting in the deaths of three Eni workers.

The militant attacks have resulted in kidnappings, attacks platforms and pipelines, and this week the main group, the Niger Delta Avengers, said they would start targeting workers over infrastructure.

Incat Crowther says its two new vessels have three Caterpillar C32 ACERT engines, each producing 1450hp at 2300 rpm.

The vessels have a service speed of 25 knots while the electrical power is provided by two Caterpillar C4.4 generators and manoeuvrability is enhanced by a Hydro Armor Type 800 bow thruster.

Accommodation on the vessels provides space for 22 crew members and security personnel as well as 15 passengers.

External decks provide space for transportation of supplies and also include armoured positions for weapons installations.

The aft portion of the hull is fitted with an integrated rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) well with a hydraulically actuated transom door for easy deployment of an 8m fast rescue craft.

The pilothouse is constructed of ballistic resistance steel and windows to provide protection to NIJ Level III.

The Gulf of Guinea is important for the global economy.

It is the western door to Africa with six coastal capital cities, eight coastal economic centres, and ten deep water ports. However it is also a source of instability and conflict as smugglers, traffickers, and extremist organisations compete with national and international commercial interests for access and control.

Many Gulf of Guinea nations have difficulty fielding effective security capacity and are struggling to combat terrorism, crime, trafficking and illegal resource extraction in the form of oil bunkering and poaching.

Chatham House said in 2013 that maritime security was an emerging issue in the Gulf of Guinea region.

Energy security and trade depend to a large extent on sea-based transport, and the region was then the source of around 5.4 million barrels of oil per day, more than that which was imported by the European Union in 2008.

In recent years there have been new oil discoveries, particularly offshore Ghana and Senegal, which will only increase trade in the region.

Today, around 80% of the oil comes from Angola and Nigeria, but that is likely to change.

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea accounted for nearly 30% of attacks (427 of 1434) in African waters between 2003 and 2011, and that proportion was increasing year-on-year.

Incat Crowther is an Australian-based company with offices in the US and UK.

The company has a diverse product portfolio of designs for monohull, catamaran and trimaran vessels with a composite, aluminium and steel construction for a range of sectors, including commercial, recreational, military and passenger.