News
Overcrowded Boat Capsizes Off Djibouti, Killing 139 Migrants
Overcrowded Boat Capsizes Off Djibouti, Killing 139 Migrants
……IOM says 84 still missing
……15 children among the dead
By Okeoghene Onoriobe Waterways | News
At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, died and 84 went missing when an overcrowded boat sank on its way from Djibouti to Yemen, the UN migration agency said on Sunday. The vessel carried 305 people, most of them Ethiopian, and capsized north of the Djiboutian town of Obock overnight on October 9-10
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the boat sank very soon after leaving the shore, mainly because it was overcrowded. A survivor described the boat sinking stern-first as soon as passengers boarded. More than 80 people survived, all Ethiopian nationals. The 139 figure counts only those buried by Djiboutian authorities. Bodies buried by the migrants themselves will be added once officials can verify them.
IOM’s Djibouti chief of mission, Alexandre Coissac, said 150 of those aboard had previously been turned back from Yemen but tried the crossing again. IOM is providing healthcare, psychosocial support, shelter and food to survivors at its Obock Migrant Response Centre. Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations and arranging burials for the dead.
Personal items likely belonging to the migrants, including shoes, were seen on a beach in a video shared by IOM. (International Organization for Migration)
IOM has detected more than 20,000 crossings into Djibouti from Ethiopia since September 10, despite the surge in conflict in Yemen. It said 178,000 people arrived from Ethiopia between January and October this year. A separate shipwreck in March left nine dead and 45 missing. IOM Director-General Amy Pope said people board such boats only when they see no other safe option, and urged governments and donors to act before the next boat goes down.
Nigeria Watch
The Djibouti disaster is a migration tragedy, but its mechanics will be familiar to anyone who covers Nigerian waterways: an overloaded wooden vessel, boarding at night, no stability margin, and a sinking within minutes of departure.
For Nigerian stakeholders, three points stand out:
Overloading kills fastest. The IOM attributes the sinking mainly to overcrowding, the same failure behind many of Nigeria’s inland boat accidents. Passenger manifests, load limits and life jacket enforcement remain the cheapest lifesavers regulators have.
Enforcement is where policy fails. Rules on paper do not save lives on the water. NIWA, LASWA and the Nigerian Navy must show that inspections and manifest checks happen at the jetty, not just in press statements.
Operators need support. Associations such as WABOTAN and ATBOWATON have long argued that safer boats and training depend on financing and engagement, not just penalties. The wooden boat phase-out will only protect passengers if operators can afford the transition.
Waterways News will keep tracking the Djibouti toll as IOM verifies the final figures.
Blue Economy
Outboard Engines, Jetties, Fuel Points: Lagos Boat Operators Table Survival Demands Ahead of New Administration
Outboard Engines, Jetties, Fuel Points: Lagos Boat Operators Table Survival Demands Ahead of New Administration
ATBOWATON seeks engine subsidies, flexible repayment terms and more infrastructure for remote communities, while commending LASWA, NIWA and the state government on safety gains
Boat operators in Lagos have asked the next state administration for engine subsidies, flexible repayment arrangements, more jetties and more fuel stations, saying these are needed to keep water transport growing.
The demands came from the Lagos State Chapter of the Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON) at a political awareness programme organised with its national leadership. Operators, government representatives and political stakeholders discussed what the sector expects from the next government.
Deputy Chairman Babatunde Segun said some members have lost boats or are stuck with faulty engines and cannot work at full capacity. He asked for engine subsidies and flexible repayment terms so affected operators can rebuild. He also called for sustained attention to safety, security, youth employment and tourism, saying these would create jobs and ease pressure on Lagos roads.
Segun credited the present administration with adding jetties and supporting more fuel stations, which ended long trips to reach workable operating points. He also praised joint state and federal efforts to clear dangerous debris from the waterways, which he said has cut accidents and damage to boats and engines. He stressed that remote communities still lack adequate jetties and fuel points.
Founding National Chairman Dr Tarzan Balogun warned that accidents could erode commuter confidence and urged operators to make safety their first priority. He commended LASWA and NIWA for monitoring and for providing life jackets, and called for closer cooperation among federal, state and local governments.
Representing the Special Adviser on Blue Economy, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, Mr Oladayo Ibrahim said Lagos is committed to becoming a leading maritime and water transport hub. He cited the Omi Eko Project, with modern ferries, electric vessels, better terminals, dredging and digital systems. He said existing operators must not be shut out of the new opportunities, and urged them to embrace professionalism, safety and compliance.
Oriade LCDA Chairman Rasaq Olotede praised investments in jetties and terminals across Badagry Division, including Ilashe, Ibeshe and Kirikiri Town, and commended operators for using life jackets.
The association also endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and Dr Kadri Hamzat’s governorship ambition.
NIGERIA WATCH
The operators’ message to Omi Eko planners is simple: don’t build the future over our heads. Omi Eko plans 15 ferry routes over 140 kilometres, linking 25 upgraded terminals, served by 75 electric vessels of up to 440 passengers each. Small “banana” boats carrying up to 17 passengers still dominate Lagos waterways. Those are the operators now asking for engine support. Officials have said private ferry operators will run the new electric vessels under a public-private framework. The open question is whether small operators get a real place in that framework or are phased out.
Omi Eko runs from 2024 to 2030 at a total cost of €410 million. That timeline is long for an operator with a dead engine today. The immediate gap between the megaproject and the informal operators who carry most passengers is the kind of policy-versus-delivery gap Waterways News keeps tracking, alongside NIWA-LASWA coordination and the safety record on inland waterways.
Maritime Security and Safety
Nigerian, French Navies Open Six-Day Grand African NEMO Drills to Choke Gulf of Guinea Crime
Nigerian, French Navies Open Six-Day Grand African NEMO Drills to Choke Gulf of Guinea Crime
Exercise in Onne targets piracy, oil theft, illegal fishing and trafficking, with five warships, two helicopters and two drones deployed
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
The Nigerian Navy and the French Navy have launched a six-day joint maritime exercise, Grand African NEMO 2026, aimed at crimes at sea in the Gulf of Guinea.
The exercise was inaugurated on Thursday, October 29, in Onne, Rivers State. The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, was represented by the Flag Officer Commanding, Navy Training Command, Rear Admiral Ebiobowei Zipele.
The Navy has committed five warships, two helicopters, two drones and personnel of the Special Boat Service. It is also drawing on its three operational commands and allied partners.
Zipele said the drills will strengthen maritime surveillance, safeguard freedom of navigation and improve the Navy’s ability to protect Nigeria’s territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The scenarios cover piracy and armed robbery at sea, human trafficking, illegal oil bunkering, illicit fishing, and the trafficking of arms and narcotics.
Abbas, in his message, said evolving maritime threats make sustained cooperation among regional navies essential. He noted that NEMO has grown since 2018 into a major annual security initiative in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Suleiman Ibrahim, said the exercise builds on Exercise Fleet Sentinel, held six months ago, and the ongoing Operation Delta Sentinel.
The drills are expected to deepen cooperation under the Yaoundé maritime security architecture and support Nigeria’s blue economy ambitions.
Nigeria Watch
NEMO is useful as a rehearsal, and Nigeria is a repeat host: the 2021 edition, also flagged off at Onne, involved 13 ships and about 1,500 personnel. That contrast is worth noting. This year’s announced deployment is five warships, though the scope of the two exercises may not be directly comparable.
The real test is what happens after the exercise ends. Stakeholders should watch three things:
Sustained presence: Joint drills sharpen skills, but safe waters depend on patrols and quick response on ordinary days, not exercise week.
Coverage beyond the open sea: Operators on the creeks, rivers and coastal routes, including the small-scale and informal operators represented by WABOTAN and ATBOWATON, face insecurity that rarely makes headlines. They will want to see these gains reach them.
Policy-to-delivery gap: NEMO, Operation Delta Sentinel and the Deep Blue Project all promise better maritime security.
Waterways News will keep asking for measurable results, such as fewer incidents, prosecutions and reduced oil theft.
Don’t Just Fund Vessels, Guarantee Cargo, Agbakoba Tells Government at SCAN Summit
Maps Path to Low-Risk Finance for Indigenous Fleet
By Ighoyota Onaibre | Waterways News
Nigeria will draw private capital into indigenous shipping only if it offers shipowners guaranteed cargo, bankable contracts and regulatory certainty. Government-financed vessels alone will not do it, maritime lawyer Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) has said.
Agbakoba spoke on Thursday, 29 October 2026, at the annual summit of the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) in Lagos. The theme was “Low-Risk Capital for Indigenous Shipowners: Overcoming Regulatory and Financial Bottlenecks.” He was represented by maritime lawyer Mr John-Paul Akunne.
He said the theme speaks to turning Nigeria’s maritime potential into a commercially viable indigenous industry that keeps more freight earnings in the country. Despite large cargo volumes, he noted, Nigerian shipowners still struggle to access finance and dependable commercial opportunities.
A national fleet, he said, would retain freight earnings, create jobs for seafarers, strengthen ship management and repair services, and widen Nigeria’s role in domestic, regional and international shipping. But fleet development requires more than buying vessels. It also needs commercially viable ships, competent operators, dependable cargo demand and sustainable financing.
Agbakoba acknowledged that ship finance carries risks tied to vessel values, foreign exchange, insurance, operating costs and freight rates. He said these can be managed through proper legal, technical and financial due diligence. Lenders, he said, must verify vessel ownership, registration, mortgages, insurance, regulatory compliance and the borrower’s capacity to repay. Ship mortgages, guarantees and the assignment of charter earnings and insurance proceeds can provide adequate security.
Collateral alone cannot make an unviable project bankable, he stressed. Vessels need reliable revenue backed by enforceable cargo or charter contracts, because ships without dependable employment struggle to secure funding.
The former President of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association urged oil majors, terminal operators and cargo owners to engage qualified Nigerian shipowners under commercially viable contracts. Those contracts should specify cargo volumes, duration, freight rates, performance standards and payment obligations.
He pointed to the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act 2003 and the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010 as existing frameworks for greater local participation. He called for effective enforcement, transparent administration of waivers and better access to cargo for indigenous operators.
Agbakoba also named regulatory uncertainty as a driver of investment costs. He urged closer coordination among NIMASA, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency.
On the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), he said the fund remains important but should complement commercial lending, development finance and private investment. He called for transparent eligibility criteria, rigorous credit assessment, adequate collateral and effective monitoring.
He recommended six priority measures for sustainable fleet development:
- Cargo-backed financing
Improved cargo access
Regulatory coordination
Mobilisation of private capital
Stronger maritime capacity
An implementation framework with clear timelines and measurable outcomes
Nigeria Watch
The numbers behind the theme. Pre-summit reports put indigenous shipowners at only about four to five per cent of the market. SCAN President Moses Ebosele blamed funding gaps, high interest rates and regulatory bottlenecks for the low local participation. Another report quoted SCAN as saying foreign operators control more than 95 per cent of the trade.
CVFF: movement, but old doubts. The fund Agbakoba wants to see complement private capital has finally begun to move after more than two decades.
President Tinubu approved disbursement more than two decades after the fund was established without Nigerian shipowners accessing it. Earlier reports said NIMASA opened applications for a $25 million tranche on January 22, 2026, drawing about 60 applicants, while some stakeholders remain cautious, citing past unfulfilled promises. Reported fund sizes vary across outlets, from the $25 million tranche to a headline figure of $700 million.
The cargo question is the real test. Agbakoba’s argument shifts the debate from who funds vessels to who guarantees work for them. That cuts to a long-running grievance in the sector. Indigenous operators objected to the launch of Unity Shipping World, the NNPC Shipping, Stena Bulk and Caverton joint venture, calling it a deliberate attempt to undermine Nigeria’s shipowners.
Whether oil majors and cargo owners will sign long-term, enforceable contracts with Nigerian owners is the question that will decide if financing translates into ships on the water.
What it means for waterway operators. For the informal and small-scale operators Waterways News follows, the principle holds at their scale too. Without structured access to cargo and passenger contracts, even well-intentioned funds will struggle to reach the boat owners and transporters who need them.
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