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.
Maritime Security and Safety
IMO Council Mourns Slain Seafarers, Demands Stronger Protection as Maritime Conflicts Deepen
IMO Council Mourns Slain Seafarers, Demands Stronger Protection as Maritime Conflicts Deepen
Dominguez warns merchant ships remain exposed from Hormuz to the Black Sea as 138th Council session ends in London
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
Member states at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) used the opening of the Council’s 138th session to mourn seafarers killed in recent attacks and to demand firmer protection for civilian mariners.
Council met in London from 2 to 6 November, with Russia and Iran putting security in the Black Sea and the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of discussions. On 2 November, Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said commercial shipping remained exposed to attack in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The mourning was driven by a run of deaths this year. Five seafarers reportedly died on 29 September during the rescue of the hijacked HONOUR 25 in Somali waters, and several others were seriously injured. In all, 44 seafarers were freed from three vessels. Dominguez noted that 22 seafarers remain captive aboard the ASANA, which was seized earlier this year, and urged continued effort to secure their release.
The Strait of Hormuz remains the deadliest flashpoint. The IMO had verified at least 70 attacks on international shipping there, with 19 seafarers killed, by its late-August assessment. A tally reported by gCaptain put the seafarer death toll at 24 as of 5 November.
Dominguez has repeatedly insisted that seafarers are civilians doing their jobs. He has said they should never become casualties of conflicts to which they are not a party.
Member states echoed the call. Liberia renewed its appeal for seafarer protection and freedom of navigation, and Indonesia said seafarer protection and safety of navigation must be a shared priority.
The session also dealt with leadership. Council backed a second four-year term for Dominguez, subject to approval by the IMO Assembly in 2027. The term would run from 1 January 2028 to 31 December 2031.
Nigeria Watch
Nigeria has more at stake than a distant diplomatic debate. Hormuz disruption has fed through to freight rates, war-risk insurance and port costs for Nigerian importers and shippers. Piracy off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden is a reminder that the Gulf of Guinea’s own security gains, including the Deep Blue Project, cannot be taken for granted.
The Council session also bears on Nigeria’s IMO seat. Abuja has pushed seafarer welfare and maritime security as part of its diplomacy, and the Council’s message gives that agenda more weight. The test is whether Nigeria backs its advocacy abroad with welfare protections, training and safety enforcement for its own mariners and for the informal waterway operators represented by WABOTAN and ATBOWATON.
For those operators, the lesson from London is that protection is a shared responsibility, and it has to reach the people who work on the inland water, not just those on ocean-going ships.
Nigeria Unveils Home-Built ADX-Barra 200 Autonomous Vessel at AFRIDEX 2026
Arridex, DICON joint venture Helagon delivers country’s first indigenously developed unmanned surface vessels%
By Ighoyota Onaibre | Waterways News
Nigeria has unveiled its first indigenously developed autonomous surface vessel, the ADX-Barra 200. Arridex Group, formerly RusselSmith Group, built it through Helagon, its defence joint venture with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).
The vessel was unveiled on 26 October at the inaugural Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX 2026) at Eko Atlantic, Lagos. The exhibition ran from 26 to 29 October.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. He said the administration prioritises defence industry growth because a nation is more secure when it can build and maintain its own capability. He described the vessel as that capability taking shape, designed and built by local engineers in partnership with DICON, and said it deserves government support and the confidence of the armed forces.
ADX-Barra 200
Arridex Group CEO Kayode Adeleke presented the vessel. He said Helagon was set up to design autonomous systems and that the ADX-Barra 200 is the result. For the forces that will use it, he called it a force multiplier.
The ADX-Barra 200 is one of two platforms in the ADX-Barra series launched at the exhibition. The other is the ADX-Barra 100. Arridex says both were designed, built and integrated in Nigeria by its engineers.
Adeleke tied the platforms to Gulf of Guinea security. He said the region’s waters carry its trade, support its coastal communities and hold much of its energy wealth, and that protecting them calls for capability the region can build, sustain and improve itself. He invited the armed services and other stakeholders to arrange demonstrations and to help shape later generations of the vessels.
Others at the unveiling included Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr Obafemi Hamzat and the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle. DICON Director-General Major General Babatunde Ibrahim Alaya, Helagon Chief Operating Officer Engr. Precious Omo-Agege and Arridex senior management were also present.
Arridex has not published the vessel’s technical specifications, including its length, endurance, payload and sensors. Both vessels remained on display at the exhibition.
NIGERIA WATCH
A home-built answer to a long-standing maritime problem: Nigeria’s waters have long needed more patrol capacity than its platforms and budgets can supply. A locally designed vessel that “can be supported, adapted and improved by the team that made it,” as Arridex puts it, addresses one persistent weakness. Imported hulls and systems often sit idle for want of spares, support and trained hands.
The questions that matter next: Unveilings are not deployments. The Navy, NIMASA’s Deep Blue Project and other agencies will want to know the vessel’s range, endurance, sensors and sea-state limits. They will also want to know whether it can work in the Gulf of Guinea. Until Arridex publishes specifications and arranges trials, the “game-changing” claim remains the company’s own.
Beyond defence: Waterways News readers should watch whether this technology filters into civil uses such as inland waterway surveillance, anti-vandalism patrols and search and rescue. The country’s inland operators, including those represented by WABOTAN and ATBOWATON, face insecurity and safety gaps that policy announcements have not closed. Local manufacturing capacity matters to them only if it eventually reaches the waterways where they work.
The accountability test: The industrial-policy argument is sound. It is build locally and maintain locally. It will be judged by procurement, deployment and sustained operation, not by launch-day speeches.
Editor's Choice
Australia Bars Repeat-Offender Bulk Carrier for 90 Days Over Falsified Crew Rest Records
Australia Bars Repeat-Offender Bulk Carrier for 90 Days Over Falsified Crew Rest Records
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
Australian maritime authorities have banned the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Wooyang Venus from its ports and waters for 90 days. Inspectors found that the ship’s crew work and rest-hour records had been deliberately falsified to hide excessive working hours.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) boarded the vessel at the Port of Newcastle on 29 October after a complaint under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). Its port state control inspection found that the records did not match the hours the crew actually worked. The ship left Newcastle on 31 October for Korea, and the ban took effect afterwards.
This is the vessel’s third brush with Australian enforcement in under three years. AMSA detained it in August 2026 when crew hours were neither properly recorded nor monitored. It was first detained in December 2023, after a complaint from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
That inspection found falsified hours records, poor food provisions and an allegation that the master had assaulted a crew member. AMSA’s annual MLC report says the operator then submitted a corrective action plan covering repatriation, better provisions and training on rest-hour compliance. The latest findings suggest those measures did not take hold.
AMSA Executive Director for Maritime Safety and Environmental Compliance, Greg Witherall, said falsifying records meant to protect seafarers undermines both crew welfare and ship safety. He warned that fatigue dulls judgement and slows reaction times, raising the risk of collisions, groundings and injuries, particularly during navigation and watchkeeping.
The ban was imposed under Section 246 of Australia’s Navigation Act 2012. AMSA cited the deliberate falsification, the repeated breaches and doubts over the effectiveness of the owner’s and operator’s safety management systems.
Nigeria Watch
The case matters for Nigeria for three reasons:
Records are the enforcement tool. Fatigue rules only work if rest-hour logs can be trusted. Australia treated falsification as a safety-system failure, not a paperwork lapse, and banned the ship rather than detaining it again.
Repeat offenders need escalating penalties. Two detentions and a corrective plan did not change this operator’s behaviour. Nigerian port state control should ask whether its own follow-up on repeat deficiencies has real consequences.
Seafarer welfare is a Nigerian issue. Nigerian seafarers serve on foreign-flagged ships, and those working boats and ferries on domestic waters face fatigue and welfare gaps too, often with no records at all.
The MLC regime Australia is enforcing shows what accountability looks like. It is the benchmark NIMASA and the inland regulators should be measured against, and one this publication will keep pressing.
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