French naval manufacturer Chantier Naval Couach has established a defence partnership with Nigerian joint-venture entity SP Offshore Nigeria Limited/SPO-DICON. The collaboration is aimed at establishing local assembly, maintenance, and training infrastructure for maritime security vessels in Nigeria. The agreement, announced in Abuja via a statement issued by Mina Park-Okoloko, Company Secretary of SP Offshore Nigeria Limited/SPO-DICON, signifies Couach’s official entry into the Nigerian market.
SPO-DICON was established on 16 July 2025, following Nigeria’s signing of a $2 billion joint-venture agreement between the state-run Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and SP Offshore Nigeria Limited. This entity was formed under the DICON Act 2023, legislation signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to support the country’s defence industrialization efforts. Led by Group Chief Executive Officer Obafemi Adekunle, its mandate encompasses maritime, aerospace, and strategic security sectors, with ongoing programmes including the JB-0330 MALE unmanned aerial platform and ammunition manufacturing infrastructure.
Couach possesses a proven export record. Headquartered in Gujan-Mestras near Bordeaux, with over 35,000 square meters of manufacturing space, the shipyard was founded in 1897 by Albert Couach as a marine engine builder. It has delivered more than 3,000 vessels worldwide. The company constructs its military hulls using advanced composites such as fiberglass, Kevlar, and carbon fiber materials, which reduce weight and radar cross-section while maintaining structural durability in high-sea conditions.
NIGERIA’S STRATEGIC INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION
The partnership with Couach aligns with Nigeria’s broader initiative to lessen reliance on imported military equipment. DICON resumed arms and ammunition production in 2024 after years of suspension, and that year, it signed a cooperation agreement with US firm NEANY to establish weapons production lines. Additionally, DICON-D7G, a separate operational entity, is preparing to commission Nigeria’s first dedicated military jetty near Tin Can Island Port in Lagos by June 2026, designed to service patrol boats and fast-attack craft without diverting them to civilian yards.
The collaboration between Couach and SPO-DICON aims to promote local naval manufacturing and assembly, maritime security vessel programmes, naval training, fleet maintenance infrastructure, and technical skills development. The partnership also envisions future integration of autonomous naval drones, coastal surveillance systems, and hybrid propulsion technologies, which are consistent with Nigeria’s Deep Blue Project, a multi-platform maritime security architecture launched by NIMASA in 2021.
France has intensified its defence cooperation with Nigeria through bilateral engagements. In February 2026, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, met with Colonel Stéphane Useo, the French Defence Attaché, in Abuja to advance security cooperation. In April 2024, the Nigerian Navy received an offshore survey vessel from French shipbuilder OCEA, a transaction preceding the Couach announcement and illustrating Nigeria’s procurement pattern with French naval industries.
The progression of the SPO-DICON partnership beyond a preliminary framework into actual vessel production will depend on factors such as financing, the development pace of the Tin Can Island jetty project, and the ability of SPO-DICON to accelerate local composite manufacturing skills. If the DICON-D7G military jetty is commissioned as scheduled in June 2026, it would establish a credible local base for maintenance and eventual assembly operations, thus providing the pragmatic foundation that has often been lacking in previous Nigerian naval industrialization efforts.