Maritime Security and Safety
Nigerian, Spanish Navies Deepen Maritime Security Ties as Gulf of Guinea Emerges Key Global Shipping Hub
Nigerian, Spanish Navies Deepen Maritime Security Ties as Gulf of Guinea Emerges Key Global Shipping Hub Following Middle East Tensions
By Okeoghene Onoriobe
The Nigerian and Spanish navies have intensified their naval cooperation to bolster maritime security across the Gulf of Guinea, as shifting global shipping dynamics triggered by rising Middle East tensions continue to place the region at the centre of international maritime trade.
This was the thrust of discussions on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, during the port visit of the Spanish offshore patrol vessel, BAM Furor, to the Western Naval Command in Apapa, Lagos — a visit that underscored growing strategic ties between both nations and their shared commitment to securing one of the world’s most commercially significant waterways.
Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Félix Costales, who addressed journalists at the event, said the rerouting of merchant vessels away from the Middle East had dramatically elevated the Gulf of Guinea’s role in global commerce. “The Gulf of Guinea is gaining increasing importance in maritime traffic globally, especially now, with the situation in the Middle East. Many merchant ships are rerouting, and the Gulf of Guinea is becoming a key player in this new framework of shipping routes,” he said.
Costales stressed that the surge in vessel traffic across the region made enhanced maritime security not just desirable but imperative. He added that Spain’s engagement is anchored within its Africa Plan — a foreign policy framework covering 2024 to 2028 — which identifies West Africa as its foremost priority on the continent. Within that framework, he said Nigeria occupies a central position. “Nigeria is at the forefront. It goes without saying, being the biggest country in the region,” he noted.
The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abubakar Mustapha, affirmed that the visit of BAM Furor aligns with the Nigerian Navy’s strategic thrust of building robust partnerships with foreign counterparts. He noted that within the past three months alone, the Command had received delegations from the Pakistani Navy staff course, Indonesian Navy ships, and now the Spanish patrol vessel. “One of the pillars of the mission of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, is synergy with other services, sister agencies, strategic stakeholders and partner countries,” he said.
From left: Consulate General of Spain in Lagos, Jose Ferrer ; Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Félix Costales; Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abubakar Mustapha; Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Spain , Abuja, María Higón Velasco and Commanding Officer, BAM Furor, Lieutenant Commander Ángel Estrada.
Rear Admiral Mustapha recalled that BAM Furor’s sister vessel, BAM Rayo, had visited in 2024, the same year BAM Furor itself participated in the Obangame Express multinational maritime exercise. He further noted that the Spanish Navy operates under the European Union’s Coordinated Maritime Presences initiative — a multilateral deployment involving Italy, France, Portugal, and Denmark — which deploys warships across the Gulf of Guinea to combat piracy in support of the Yaoundé Architecture and the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy.
He credited this sustained collaboration with a significant security milestone for Nigeria: its delisting as a piracy-prone country. Looking ahead, the Rear Admiral disclosed that the impending operationalisation of a Combined Maritime Task Force, to be headquartered in Nigeria, would further streamline joint operations across the Gulf of Guinea.
The Commanding Officer of BAM Furor, Lieutenant Commander Ángel Estrada, who described it as his maiden visit to Nigeria, praised the professionalism of the Nigerian Navy, saying the service had made an impressive showing from the moment his crew arrived. He disclosed that the vessel had made port calls in Mauritania, Senegal, Gabon and Ghana before docking in Lagos — its fifth stop on a deployment that began on January 19 and is scheduled to conclude on June 3, 2026.
Estrada outlined the rationale driving Spain’s presence in the region, pointing to both economic and security imperatives. “The oil trade with Nigeria and the illegal activities that take place on the high seas have an impact on Spain and Europe. That is the main reason for our presence,” he said.
During the five-day stay, both navies are expected to conduct a series of joint exercises including Visit, Board, Search and Seizure operations with Special Forces, as well as drills targeting illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. Cultural exchange activities are also planned.
Rear Admiral Mustapha noted that joint exercises serve a dual purpose — strengthening operational capacity while identifying gaps through after-action reviews. “When you collaborate, you look at your tactics, techniques, and procedures. At the end of the exercise, we conduct what we call an after-action review to identify gaps and improve on them. It benefits both their Navy and our Navy,” he said.
Maritime Security and Safety
Navy Clamps 13-Hour Waterway Curfew on Calabar-Oron Channel Amid Kidnapping Surge
Navy Clamps 13-Hour Waterway Curfew on Calabar-Oron Channel Amid Kidnapping Surge
NNS Victory, FOB Ibaka mount joint raids; militant hideout demolished, suspect in custody
By Okeoghene Onoriobe| Waterways News Correspondent
The Nigerian Navy has imposed a 13-hour daily movement restriction on all maritime traffic along the Calabar waterways, banning vessel operations between 6:00pm and 5:00am, as part of an intensified counter-kidnapping campaign targeting criminal networks operating along the Calabar-Oron channel.
The development was disclosed in an official statement by Lt.-Cdr. Suleiman Bala, Public Affairs Officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory, based in Calabar, Cross River State.
According to Bala, the curfew — which permits maritime activity only during daylight hours — is a direct operational response to a recent spike in kidnappings along one of Nigeria’s busiest cross-state waterway corridors. The channel, linking Cross River State to Akwa Ibom, serves as a critical passage for riverine communities, commercial boat operators, and fishing vessels.
New Security Outpost at Peacock Crossing
Beyond the movement restriction, the Navy has established a permanent security outpost at Idung I, commonly known as Peacock Crossing, on the island in Cross River State. Bala said the outpost was strategically sited to enable naval personnel to monitor creek activities in real time and deny militants freedom of movement.
In a series of coordinated operations, NNS Victory and Forward Operating Base (FOB) Ibaka conducted raids on fishing settlements at Dayspring Island. Naval authorities said suspected militant elements fled on sighting troops, prompting a subsequent joint clearance operation involving personnel from the Nigerian Army’s 13 Brigade.
“Troops maintained dominance over the creeks and adjoining waterways,” Bala stated, adding that the sustained military presence led to the discovery of a militant hideout linked to a suspect identified only as “Juju” in the Idung axis.
Upon the approach of naval operatives, the suspect fled, abandoning two engine-fitted boats which were seized. The hideout structure was subsequently demolished.
Informant Arrested, Under Interrogation
In a separate intelligence-driven operation, troops tracked and apprehended one individual identified as an informant embedded within the militant network. The suspect is currently in custody and undergoing interrogation, after which he is to be transferred to a relevant security agency for further investigation and prosecution.
Bala said that prior to the deployment of naval assets, militant groups had operated with near-total impunity in the area, conducting kidnappings and extorting riverine communities. He noted that the presence of troops has substantially degraded their operational capacity, pushing them deeper into the creeks and cutting off their logistics chains.
The Navy’s statement concluded with a firm commitment to sustain what it described as “an aggressive posture” until all undesirable elements within the creeks and communities are neutralised
Nigeria Watch
The curfew on the Calabar-Oron channel underscores a widening maritime security challenge that Nigerian authorities have long struggled to contain in the country’s southern waterways. While most attention on waterway insecurity has focused on the Niger Delta’s oil-producing states, the Calabar-Oron corridor — a vital artery for cross-state trade, passenger movement, and fishing — has increasingly come under pressure from criminal elements exploiting its creek-laced geography.
For the Nigerian maritime sector, the operational implications are significant. A daylight-only movement window of 13 hours effectively compresses the commercial window for boat operators, fishing communities, and inter-state water transport services, adding logistical cost and uncertainty to an already challenging operating environment.
NIMASA, which holds statutory responsibility for maritime safety and security coordination under the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act 2019, may need to assess whether the Calabar-Oron flashpoint requires a more structured inter-agency response — one that pairs kinetic naval operations with longer-term community engagement and economic alternatives for vulnerable riverine populations.
The Nigerian Navy’s resolve is evident; sustaining it will require resources, intelligence, and coordination across multiple security and regulatory bodies.
Maritime Security and Safety
Iran Seizes Two Container Ships; 15 Filipino Crew Members Reported Safe
Iran Seizes Two Container Ships; 15 Filipino Crew Members Reported Safe
By Okeoghene Onoriobe| Waterways News Correspondent | April 25, 2026
The Philippine government has confirmed that all 15 of its seafarers aboard two container vessels seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz are safe and unharmed, bringing some relief to their families and the wider maritime community.
The two vessels — Epaminondas and MSC Francesca — were boarded and seized by IRGC forces on April 22, 2026, as they attempted to transit one of the world’s most strategically significant and increasingly volatile waterways. Ten Filipino crew members were aboard the Epaminondas, with the remaining five on the MSC Francesca.
Confirming their safety, Philippines Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said his office had been assured that all 15 seafarers were safe and unharmed, and that authorities remained in close contact with their families, the manning agency, and the shipowners while continuing to provide support.
The DMW said it is taking all necessary steps to protect the welfare of the affected seafarers, while coordinating closely with all relevant stakeholders.
The incident is the latest in a string of maritime security concerns in the Arabian Gulf region that have placed Filipino seafarers — and the global shipping community — on high alert. The Philippines remains the world’s largest supplier of crew to the international shipping industry, making the safety of its seafarers a matter of significant national concern.
This seizure comes barely weeks after another harrowing incident, in which 21 Filipino crew members were aboard the Panama-flagged product tanker Aqua 1 when it was struck by a missile on April 1, near the Ras Laffan Industrial Hub in Qatar. Fortunately, none of the crew were injured. A second batch of seven survivors returned to Manila on the evening of April 22, bringing the total number of Aqua 1 crew who have arrived home to 17, with four others expected to return shortly.
In a further development that will reassure families across the Philippines, Saudi Arabian offshore vessels company Zamil Offshore informed DMW Secretary Cacdac that 412 Filipino seafarers currently deployed on its vessels in the Gulf are safe, with adequate food supplies and other necessities to last several months.
The escalating pattern of vessel seizures and attacks in the Gulf underscores the mounting risks facing commercial seafarers navigating one of the world’s most critical trade routes. Industry stakeholders are calling for urgent diplomatic engagement to de-escalate tensions and safeguard the lives of maritime workers.
Waterways News will continue to monitor and report developments on this story.
IMO Moves to Free 800 Stranded Ships From Hormuz
With global maritime trade and shipping hanging in the balance, the world’s maritime body is drawing up an escape plan for hundreds of trapped vessels — and their exhausted crews
By Ighoyota Onaibre | Waterways News
The International Maritime Organization is quietly finalising a rescue plan to evacuate hundreds of vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf — but the operation will not move an inch until conflict subsides and the Strait of Hormuz is confirmed free of mines and military threats.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez confirmed that preparations are under way to organise a safe corridor for ships caught in the crossfire of more than seven weeks of escalating hostilities, triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The plan, however, remains firmly on ice until credible signs of de-escalation emerge.
Close to 800 vessels are currently stuck in the Gulf as traffic through one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints has slowed to a near standstill. For Nigerian importers, exporters, and the broader West African supply chain dependent on Gulf-origin energy and commodities, the disruption carries real consequences — from tightening oil availability to delayed cargo consignments.
Iranian warnings and attacks have made shipowners unwilling to risk the passage, though some vessels have reportedly secured exit under tightly controlled routes — in some cases involving payments, a development that has drawn sharp attention from the global shipping community.
The situation has been further complicated by a US naval blockade designed to cut off Iranian war revenues, pushing an already fragile operating environment to the edge as a temporary ceasefire ticks toward expiry.
Behind closed doors, the IMO is mapping out the operational logistics of an evacuation, including how vessels would be prioritised — with the duration of crew entrapment likely to be a key factor.
Any approved transit would follow the long-established Traffic Separation Scheme agreed between Iran and Oman, which has served as the recognised navigational framework for the narrow waterway for decades.
Dominguez was emphatic that the proposed corridor is not a commercial exercise. The goal, he stressed, is humanitarian — to get seafarers safely out of harm’s way, not to restore cargo flows or protect trade revenues.
For Nigeria, the stakes extend beyond sympathy. The Strait of Hormuz handles a significant share of the world’s oil exports, and prolonged closure or instability there feeds directly into the global energy price pressures that continue to weigh on the naira, fuel costs, and freight rates at Nigerian ports.
The IMO says it is ready. The question now is whether the warring parties will give it the window it needs.
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