Maritime Security and Safety
Stakeholders Cry Out as Stowaways Adopt New Tactics, Navy Nabs Eight in Four Months
Stakeholders Cry Out as Stowaways Adopt New Tactics, Navy Nabs Eight in Four Months
Industry operators warn of rising financial and reputational costs as experts call for external vessel checks, SPOMO Act review
By Ighoyota Onaibre | Waterways News Reporter, Lagos
Maritime stakeholders have sounded a fresh alarm over the growing sophistication of stowaway operations in Nigerian waters, as the Nigerian Navy confirmed the interception of at least eight stowaways in separate operations between January and April 2026 — a trend that is drawing concern from shipping companies, legal experts, and port security authorities alike.
The arrests, disclosed through a series of naval press statements and media briefings, point to an escalating security challenge at Lagos anchorage and along Nigeria’s coastal corridors — one that operators say is increasingly difficult to contain using conventional onboard security protocols.
Eight Arrests, Three Incidents
Naval authorities — particularly the Commander of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu — confirmed three distinct interceptions in the period under review.
In March 2026, naval operatives on routine patrol intercepted two stowaways concealed aboard a vessel off the Lagos coast. The suspects were handed over to relevant authorities for investigation.
In early April, three Ghanaian nationals were arrested after illegally boarding a Europe-bound vessel in Lagos — an incident that naval authorities said underscored the continued use of Nigerian ports as departure points for irregular migration to Europe.
Days later, in mid-April, three more stowaways were apprehended aboard the merchant vessel MSC Stella near the Lagos Fairway Buoy, again while attempting to travel unlawfully to Europe before being detected during security checks.
Commodore Adams-Aliu, addressing journalists at one of the briefings, reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to securing Nigeria’s territorial waters and warned that stowaway attempts pose grave safety risks and constitute violations of international maritime regulations. Naval sources indicate the total number of interceptions in 2026 may exceed the eight independently verified cases.
Shipping Companies Bear the Brunt
The Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN) Chairman, Mrs Boma Alabi, has raised concerns over the mounting operational and financial toll on shipping companies. Speaking at a recent stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, Alabi noted that shipping agents continue to grapple with stowaways boarding vessels undetected, causing delays in vessel departures as investigations and disembarkation procedures are carried out.
She highlighted the compounding financial liabilities involved — including fines, diversion costs, additional crew management responsibilities, and reputational damage to Nigeria as a port of origin — and called for stronger, better-coordinated port security measures, improved inter-agency collaboration, and a clear responsibility framework that shields shipping companies from bearing liability for what are fundamentally security failures.
“Shipping companies are often held responsible for situations that are largely security-related and beyond their operational control,” Alabi stated.
The Rudder Problem: A Shift in Stowaway Tactics
Perhaps the most telling insight into the shifting nature of the stowaway threat came from a former President of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association (NMNOWTSSA), Engr. Matthew Alalade, who told Waterways News that the days of stowaways hiding inside vessels are largely over — and that the industry has not fully adapted to what has replaced it.
“You hardly find stowaways inside the vessel anymore because onboard security is tight. What we are seeing now is people coming through small boats and hanging on the rudder,” Alalade explained.
He advised that shipping companies and agents must now adopt proactive external inspection measures — including deploying speedboats to check vessel undersides before departure, particularly when ships are riding high on light loads, which makes rudder compartments more accessible.
Alalade also sought to clarify the legal framework governing stowaways discovered at sea, stressing that international maritime practice strictly prohibits any harm to stowaways.
“There is no right to throw anyone overboard. The standard procedure is to report to the next port and hand the person over to authorities,” he said.
He also raised concerns about the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act, suggesting that portions of the legislation may no longer be fit for purpose in addressing current stowaway tactics and calling for a legislative review to reflect present-day realities.
Legal Framework: No Room for Extrajudicial Action
Maritime lawyer and immediate past Chairman of the Institute of Chartered Ship Brokers (ICS), Dr Chris Ebare, reinforced the legal position on stowaway handling, emphasising that throwing stowaways overboard is a serious criminal offence under both Nigerian law and international maritime conventions.
“To the best of my knowledge, there is no law that permits a captain to throw a stowaway into the sea. Such actions would amount to a serious offence,” Ebare stated. “It is not a case of jungle justice. Maritime laws and international conventions are clear on how such situations should be handled.”
Ebare maintained that the SPOMO Act provides clear penalties for maritime offences, and that all stowaways must be handed over to the relevant authorities for lawful prosecution — not subjected to extrajudicial treatment. He added that while enforcement of maritime laws in Nigeria is ongoing, greater consistency and wider awareness remain essential to deter violations.
Nigeria Watch
The eight stowaway arrests recorded in Nigeria’s waters in just four months of 2026 are more than a security statistic — they represent a serious governance gap at the port-vessel interface that risks eroding Nigeria’s standing as a reliable maritime hub.
The emerging shift to rudder-compartment concealment signals that conventional onboard security measures, however tight, are no longer sufficient. Port security agencies — including the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), NIMASA, and naval patrols — must now contend with threats that originate outside the vessel perimeter, in open water, before boarding ever occurs. This calls for a rethinking of pre-departure inspection protocols and a wider deployment of patrol assets at anchorage points and fairway approaches.
For NIMASA, which bears statutory responsibility for maritime safety and security under its enabling legislation, the rising stowaway trend also raises questions about the adequacy of Port State Control and vessel clearance procedures. The agency’s collaboration with NNS Beecroft and other naval formations will need to intensify if Nigeria is to close the loopholes currently being exploited.
The SAN’s call for a clear liability framework deserves urgent regulatory attention. Shipping lines — many of whom are foreign-flagged operators whose continued calls at Lagos are commercially discretionary — should not be penalised for systemic port security failures. A fairer responsibility matrix, backed by stronger agency coordination, is the foundation on which Nigeria’s port competitiveness ultimately rests.
LASWA, Interferry Launch Africa’s First Ferry Safety Mentorship Programme
18-month hybrid initiative targets 50 operators across captain, engineering and safety officer cadres
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent
The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) has partnered with global ferry industry body Interferry to launch what has been described as Africa’s first Ferry Safety Development and Mentoring Programme — a landmark initiative aimed at raising professional standards, improving operational efficiency, and strengthening safety culture across Lagos’s inland waterway transport network.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Blue Economy, Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, disclosed the development in a statement on Monday, describing the programme as a transformative step that will “revolutionise ferry safety practices” and elevate the competitiveness of Nigeria’s ferry transport sector on the global stage.
Fifty participants — drawn from the ranks of captains, engineers and safety officers — have already been selected following a verification exercise conducted on 18 March, with the programme scheduled to commence this month, May 2026.
The 18-month programme will operate on a hybrid model, combining online learning modules, virtual mentoring sessions, and monthly hands-on practical training. Mentors will be drawn from Interferry experts as well as facilitators from maritime institutions, companies and regulatory agencies across Nigeria.
Core curriculum modules are to cover ferry design and construction, safety management systems, maritime regulatory frameworks, and both preventive and predictive maintenance techniques — competencies widely regarded as foundational to reducing the frequency of accidents and operational failures on Lagos waterways.
Nigeria Watch
The LASWA-Interferry programme arrives at a critical moment for Nigeria’s waterway transportation sector. Lagos’s ferry network — one of the busiest in sub-Saharan Africa — has long grappled with safety deficits rooted in inadequate training, ageing vessels, and inconsistent regulatory enforcement. High-profile accidents on the Lagos lagoon in recent years have intensified calls for systemic capacity building rather than reactive enforcement.
By anchoring this initiative to a structured, internationally validated mentoring framework, LASWA is signalling a shift from compliance-driven regulation toward competency-led governance — a model consistent with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) principles adapted for inland and ferry operations.
For the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and agencies such as NIMASA, the Lagos initiative also offers a replicable template: if the programme delivers measurable safety outcomes over its 18-month cycle, it could inform a national framework for ferry operator certification — a gap that has persisted in Nigeria’s inland waterways governance architecture. NIWA and state waterway authorities in Rivers, Delta, and Cross River states would be natural candidates for replication.
The selection of 50 participants as an inaugural cohort is modest but deliberate. A targeted, verifiable cohort allows programme outcomes to be tracked and documented — building the evidence base needed to scale the model across other Nigerian waterway corridors.
Waterways News | Maritime | Ports | Blue Economy
Maritime Security and Safety
Navy Clamps 13-Hour Waterway Curfew on Calabar-Oron Channel Amid Kidnapping SurgeÂ
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.
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