Maritime Security and Safety
PIRATES ROUTED AS EU NAVAL MISSION RESCUES HIJACKED IRANIAN FISHING VESSEL IN INDIAN OCEAN
PIRATES ROUTED AS EU NAVAL MISSION RESCUES HIJACKED IRANIAN FISHING VESSEL IN INDIAN OCEAN
By Okeoghene Onoriobe
European naval forces have successfully freed a hijacked Iranian fishing dhow that had been held under pirate control for nearly two weeks in the Western Indian Ocean, in an operation that once again highlights the persistent threat of maritime piracy off the Horn of Africa.
The EU’s naval mission, EUNAVFOR Operation ATALANTA, confirmed that the Iranian-flagged vessel ALWASEEMI was liberated on Sunday after sustained military pressure compelled the pirates to abandon the ship and flee.
The fishing dhow had been seized on March 24 by a Pirate Action Group operating approximately 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu. Intelligence indicated the pirates intended to deploy the vessel as a “mothership” — a floating base from which to launch attacks against larger commercial ships traversing the busy Indian Ocean shipping corridor.
Rather than mount a direct assault that could have endangered the crew, naval commanders opted for a methodical strategy described as the “concertina effect.” Working in close coordination with Somali maritime police, ATALANTA forces deployed warships and aerial assets to progressively tighten a surveillance net around the hijacked vessel, gradually eliminating the pirates’ room to manoeuvre.
The strategy worked. Cornered and under mounting pressure, the pirates disembarked along Somalia’s north-western coast and dispersed. Naval boarding teams then moved in, secured the vessel, confirmed the safety of all crew members, and provided food, water, and medical assistance to those on board. Evidence was also collected with a view to potential prosecution of the perpetrators.
The Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean had earlier issued swift alerts to vessels in the region, advising ships to maintain safe distances and boost onboard security measures. By March 27, ATALANTA forces had already located and isolated the ALWASEEMI, ensuring it could not be used as a launchpad for further attacks.
The successful rescue operation drew on broad international cooperation, involving Somali security forces, the Combined Maritime Forces, and INTERPOL — a coalition that maritime security experts say remains indispensable for policing vast and vulnerable ocean corridors.
While Somali piracy had declined sharply from its peak in the early 2010s, the ALWASEEMI incident is among several recent cases signalling a troubling resurgence of activity in the region — one that observers link to broader geopolitical instability affecting key global shipping lanes and the livelihoods of seafarers worldwide.
Waterways News — www.waterwaysnews.ng
LASWA Sweeps Lagos Jetties, Seizes 120 Substandard Life Jackets in Safety Crackdown
Authority warns operators: vessel seaworthiness and passenger safety equipment are non-negotiable
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent
The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) has stepped up its safety enforcement campaign across the state’s busy ferry corridors, seizing and withdrawing 120 damaged life jackets from active circulation at terminals and jetties following a comprehensive round of unannounced inspections.
The exercise, conducted as part of LASWA’s ongoing effort to tighten regulatory compliance on Lagos waterways, targeted some of the most heavily trafficked jetties in the metropolis — including Ipakodo, Bayeku, Ijede, Ebute-Ero, Liverpool, Sabokoji, and Alex — locations that collectively serve hundreds of thousands of commuters and cargo movements weekly.
The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Blue Economy, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, who confirmed the enforcement action in a statement on Friday, said the sweep was specifically designed to assess boat seaworthiness and verify the integrity of life-saving equipment aboard commercial vessels.
” The inspection campaign covered several terminals and jetties, focusing on boat seaworthiness and life jacket compliance. During the exercise, 120 damaged life jackets were seized and removed from circulation,” Emmanuel stated.
He emphasised that the confiscation of the defective equipment was not merely a punitive gesture, but a preventive measure aimed at eliminating life-threatening hazards before they could claim lives on the water.
Mixed Compliance Picture Across Terminals
While the enforcement action yielded serious concerns, Emmanuel noted that the overall picture across inspected terminals was not uniformly poor. A number of commercial boat operators were found to be in good standing, with vessels meeting the required safety specifications. However, others fell short — particularly on vessel seaworthiness — and were directed to carry out necessary repairs before resuming operations.
“Strict enforcement of safety protocols, especially vessel conditions and life jacket quality, is non-negotiable,” Emmanuel stated, making clear that LASWA would not be issuing any waivers or extensions to operators found in breach.
The authority confirmed that enforcement patrols will be sustained at all terminals across the state, with operators put on notice that further inspections are forthcoming and that sanctions will follow any repeat violations.
Legal Obligations and Passenger Rights
LASWA reiterated that under existing waterways regulations, all commercial ferry and boat operators have a binding legal obligation to maintain seaworthy vessels and to equip every passenger with a certified, fully functional life jacket. The use of worn, torn, or otherwise compromised safety equipment — however cosmetically intact it may appear — constitutes a regulatory violation that exposes both passengers and operators to serious risk.
Emmanuel reaffirmed that LASWA’s overarching mandate remains the establishment of a safer, more reliable, and properly regulated waterways transportation system across Lagos State.
Nigeria Watch: A Waterways News analytical note for maritime industry stakeholders
LASWA’s latest enforcement sweep arrives at a time of heightened scrutiny over safety standards on Lagos waterways — a sector that has struggled for decades with the twin challenges of rapid passenger growth and inconsistent operator compliance.
The seizure of 120 defective life jackets from active service is significant not just in its scale, but in what it implies: that a meaningful number of commercial ferry operations have been running with equipment that could not be relied upon in an emergency. For a waterway system that has experienced multiple fatal incidents over the years — from capsizings on the Lagos Lagoon to collisions at busy terminal approaches — the tolerance of substandard personal flotation devices represents an unacceptable risk to the travelling public.
For stakeholders in the inland waterways and ferry sector, the message from LASWA is unambiguous: the era of discretionary compliance is over. Operators who have historically banked on infrequent inspections or lax follow-through will need to recalibrate. The authority’s decision to publicise the details of its enforcement action — naming the specific terminals covered — signals a deliberate communications strategy aimed at raising public awareness and applying reputational pressure on non-compliant operators.
There is also a broader governance dimension worth noting. The overlapping jurisdictional question between LASWA and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) — which has long created ambiguity over who bears primary regulatory responsibility for certain routes and facilities in Lagos — remains an area where clear demarcation would strengthen, not undermine, safety enforcement. LASWA’s assertive posture in this latest exercise reinforces its claim to operational authority on Lagos State waterways, even as the federal-state jurisdictional debate continues.
For operators, terminal managers, and vessel owners across the Lagos waterways ecosystem, this is the time to audit safety equipment inventories, accelerate vessel maintenance schedules, and ensure that compliance is treated as a continuous obligation — not a box ticked ahead of an anticipated inspection.
Editor's Choice
Nigerian Navy at 70: Fleet Review, New Gulf of Guinea Task Force Signal a Force Reborn
Nigerian Navy at 70: Fleet Review, New Gulf of Guinea Task Force Signal a Force Reborn
As platinum jubilee festivities open, the Nigerian Navy positions itself as Africa’s foremost maritime security provider — with direct implications for shipping costs, port throughput, and waterways trade across the region
By Ighoyota Onaibre | Waterways News Correspondent | Lagos
Celebrations Open a Window into Seven Decades of Strategic Evolution
Seven decades after a modest 250-man coastal policing unit was assembled to patrol Nigeria’s shorelines, the Nigerian Navy has opened its platinum jubilee with a declaration that should resonate far beyond the parade grounds: it is now Africa’s leading maritime security provider, principal logistics backbone, and most productive indigenous shipbuilder on the continent.
The two-week anniversary programme, which commenced this week in Abuja, was formally announced at a news conference by the Chief of Policy and Planning, Rear Admiral Olatunde Olodude, who set the stage for what promises to be the most significant public showcase of naval capability in Nigeria’s post-independence history.
For the maritime trade and waterways community — port operators, freight forwarders, terminal concessionaires, shipping agents, and inland waterway operators alike — the jubilee is more than a ceremonial occasion. The policy announcements and institutional milestones embedded within it carry concrete implications for Nigeria’s maritime trade environment, vessel security, insurance premiums, and the long-term viability of Gulf of Guinea shipping corridors.
From Naval Defence Force to Blue-Water Navy: A Historical Arc
Rear Admiral Olodude traced the service’s origins to the Naval Defence Force established in 1956, describing its evolution into the Royal Nigerian Navy before the royal prefix was dropped when the country became a republic in 1963.
What began as a coastal surveillance outfit has, over seven decades, been transformed by war, peacekeeping obligation, and deliberate strategic investment into a force with blue-water ambitions. The 1967–1970 civil war was a defining crucible: naval blockades, amphibious operations, and sealift logistics were decisive instruments during that conflict forcing a rapid maturation of operational doctrine and fleet management that would shape the Navy’s posture for generations. Post-war, Nigeria’s Navy extended its reach well beyond domestic waters. Peacekeeping and regional stabilisation deployments followed in Lebanon, Liberia, and, most recently, The Gambia in 2017 and Guinea-Bissau in 2022.
Each deployment added institutional knowledge and reinforced Nigeria’s position as the indispensable security anchor in West Africa’s maritime geography.
That regional credibility has now been formally codified. The Navy cited a 2025 Strategic Sealift Memorandum of Understanding between Nigeria and the African Union, under which Nigeria has been designated as an approved sealift provider for peacekeeping operations, disaster response, and troop movement across the African continent.
For Nigeria’s indigenous shipbuilding and logistics industries, this MOU opens a significant commercial frontier — one that Waterways News readership in the port and ferry sectors should track closely.
June 1 Fleet Review and the Combined Maritime Task Force
The centrepiece of the jubilee calendar is a presidential fleet review scheduled for June 1, to be inspected by President Bola Tinubu at Lagos. The review will be accompanied by the formal flag-off of a landmark institutional development: the Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF) for the Gulf of Guinea, which will bring together regional navies including those of The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria to coordinate patrols and tackle transnational organised crime across the Gulf’s approximately 6,000-kilometre maritime expanse.
The CMTF is a direct operational response to years of pressure from global shipping insurers, cargo owners, and port users who have consistently flagged the Gulf of Guinea as one of the world’s most hazardous maritime zones. Its establishment — formalised at a jubilee event rather than a behind-closed-doors diplomatic summit — signals a deliberate effort by Nigeria to anchor the arrangement publicly and make multilateral accountability visible.
In addition to the fleet review, the jubilee programme includes the arrival of friendly foreign warships, the inauguration of commissioned vessels, and the 6th Sea Power for Africa Symposium, themed “Leveraging Technology for Enhanced Maritime Security in Africa.” Heads of navies from 15 African countries are expected, alongside delegations from numerous international maritime organisations. Naval vessels from Benin, Brazil, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana will visit Lagos — a display of regional goodwill that carries practical significance for port managers at Apapa, Tin Can Island, and the Lekki Deep Sea Port, who will need to accommodate visiting warships alongside commercial traffic.
The Piracy Dividend: What Improved Security Means for Trade
Perhaps the most consequential metric Rear Admiral Olodude cited for the maritime commercial community is Nigeria’s removal from the International Maritime Bureau’s list of piracy-prone nations — an achievement the Navy credits to its sustained anti-piracy operations, which it says was realised in 2022. The consequences for trade are not abstract. The Navy noted that this development has directly lowered shipping and insurance costs and improved the trade outlook across the Gulf of Guinea.
For freight forwarders and importers moving cargo through Lagos ports, reduced war-risk and kidnap-and-ransom insurance loadings translate to a tangible reduction in landed cost — a benefit that tends to go underreported in commercial narratives dominated by port congestion and customs dwell time.
The Navy’s inter-agency security collaboration has also yielded measurable results in the energy sector with direct waterways relevance. Olodude pointed to a joint crackdown on oil theft and illegal refining in the Niger Delta, attributing a rise in Nigeria’s average crude output — from 1.3 million barrels per day in January 2023 to 1.7 million barrels per day as of April 2026 — partly to the Navy’s partnership with other security agencies. Higher crude production means higher tanker traffic through Nigeria’s offshore loading terminals, sustained demand for tug and vessel support services, and stronger freight volumes transiting the country’s creeks and waterways.
Indigenisation and Shipbuilding: A Growing Industrial Footprint
One dimension of the jubilee narrative that deserves particular attention from Nigeria’s waterways industry is the Navy’s indigenous shipbuilding track record. The Navy’s dockyard and shipyard have delivered five vessels since 2010, comprising a ferry, a tug, and three seaward defence boats, while continuing to build additional craft and carry out refits for friendly navies. This is not merely a patriotic statistic. It represents a growing ecosystem of indigenous naval architecture, marine engineering, and vessel maintenance capacity that, with deliberate policy support, could extend its services to the commercial waterways sector — passenger ferries, cargo barges, and workboats serving Nigeria’s inland waterway routes.
The refit programme is already generating regional revenue. Between 2024 and 2025, the dockyard refitted three warships for Benin and is currently refitting three more — a service export that validates the commercial viability of Nigerian shipyard capacity when properly managed and resourced.
Digitisation and Fleet Recapitalisation on the Horizon
Looking ahead, Rear Admiral Olodude outlined an ambitious modernisation agenda. The Navy has signalled its commitment to fleet recapitalisation, the induction of new patrol vessels, investments in training, and a broader push toward becoming a highly digitised and networked blue-water navy capable of confronting asymmetric and fifth-generation maritime threats.
For the waterways and ports sector, digitisation at the Navy level has knock-on significance. A more networked naval presence in Nigeria’s creeks, rivers, and offshore zones — feeding into platforms like the National Single Window — can accelerate the kind of real-time maritime domain awareness that port users, vessel operators, and waterways regulators have long called for.
Nigeria Watch: What the Navy’s Jubilee Means for Waterways Stakeholders
The Nigerian Navy’s platinum jubilee arrives at a pivotal moment for the country’s blue economy. The formal commissioning of the Combined Maritime Task Force, the presidential fleet review, and the hosting of 15 African naval chiefs in Lagos all affirm Nigeria’s strategic centrality in Gulf of Guinea governance — but for the waterways community, the more pressing questions are domestic.
Will the jubilee momentum translate into sustained budgetary support for the Navy’s fleet recapitalisation programme? Can the Navy’s indigenous shipbuilding capacity be leveraged to supply commercial ferry and barge operators on the Lagos-Badagry, Baro-Warri, and Niger-Benue waterway corridors? Will the inter-agency security frameworks that have suppressed Delta oil theft be extended into a broader waterways safety architecture that protects passenger and cargo ferries on inland routes?
As Lagos’s waterways governance continues to evolve — with LASWA, NIWA, and the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy navigating overlapping mandates — a more capable, more regionally respected Nigerian Navy represents both a security guarantee and a potential institutional partner for the inland waterways sector. The jubilee has put the Navy’s achievements on full display. Whether those achievements catalyse the deeper policy and investment reforms that Nigeria’s waterways economy needs remains the central question for stakeholders to press in the months ahead.
Blue Economy
NIMASA Launches Full Probe as Maersk Container Vessel, Oil Tanker Collide at Bonny, Triggering Oil Spill
NIMASA Launches Full Probe as Maersk Container Vessel, Oil Tanker Collide at Bonny, Triggering Oil Spill
Five crew members injured; MT Lady Martina aground on Bonny Channel; DG Mobereola visits Rivers State, orders Environmental Impact Assessment
By Ighoyota Onaibre | Waterways News Correspondent
A serious maritime incident unfolded at the Bonny Inner Anchorage in Rivers State on Wednesday, 20 May 2026, when a Singapore-flagged container vessel operated by global shipping giant Maersk collided with a Nigerian-flagged oil products tanker, triggering an oil spill and leaving five seafarers injured. The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has since activated emergency response protocols, established a dedicated Situation Monitoring Room, and ordered a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collision.
The incident occurred at approximately 1130 hours at coordinates Latitude 4.512375, Longitude 7.189429 — within the Bonny Inner Anchorage, one of Nigeria’s most strategically sensitive maritime corridors and a critical gateway for petroleum product movements serving the Niger Delta region. The vessels involved were MV Maersk Valparaiso, a Singapore-flagged container ship bearing IMO Number 9433054, and MT Lady Martina, a Nigerian-flagged oil products tanker with IMO Number 5104033.
Deep Blue Assets Mobilised
Upon receiving the distress call, the Deep Blue Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Bonny immediately deployed 10 armed personnel aboard DB 214, one of the interceptor boats operating under the federal government’s Deep Blue Project, to the scene of the incident. The rapid deployment underscored the operational readiness of the Deep Blue assets — an integrated maritime security infrastructure that NIMASA has invested heavily in to protect Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone and strategic waterways.
Five crew members aboard MT Lady Martina sustained varying degrees of injuries and were promptly evacuated to the FOB Bonny sickbay for immediate medical attention. Their conditions were not disclosed in NIMASA’s initial statement, though the agency confirmed all five received prompt care at the Forward Operating Base facility.
Two Vessels Remain Grounded
Following the collision, MT Lady Martina drifted ashore and is currently aground along the Bonny Channel, while MV Maersk Valparaiso remains grounded at the Bonny Inner Anchorage pending damage assessment and further investigation.
Both vessels are currently out of service, and their grounding poses potential navigational hazards within the channel — a waterway through which a substantial volume of Nigeria’s crude oil exports and petroleum product imports routinely pass.
Maersk’s management formally notified NIMASA of the incident.
The shipping line, which operates one of the world’s largest container fleets and maintains a significant presence on West Africa trade routes, is expected to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.
DG Orders Investigation, Visits Rivers State
NIMASA’s Director General, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, responded swiftly to the incident. Mobereola ordered a full investigation into both the immediate and underlying causes of the collision, and personally visited Rivers State to inaugurate the Situation Monitoring Room and oversee ongoing response operations.
He also directed the agency’s Marine Environment Management Department to immediately commence an Environmental Impact Assessment of the affected area — a critical step given the oil spill’s potential impact on the ecologically sensitive coastal and mangrove environments that characterise the Niger Delta shoreline around Bonny.
NIMASA’s Deputy Director and Head of Public Relations, Osagie Edward, who signed the agency’s public statement, described the response as prompt and coordinated. The establishment of a dedicated Situation Monitoring Room signals that NIMASA intends to manage the post-incident phase — including oil spill containment, salvage operations, and damage assessment — under close institutional oversight.
Nigeria Watch: Bonny Anchorage Under Scrutiny
The Bonny Inner Anchorage collision raises fresh questions about vessel traffic management and anchorage safety protocols within one of Nigeria’s busiest and most congested maritime zones. The Bonny Channel, which services both the Bonny LNG export terminal and a range of petroleum product and general cargo movements, has long been flagged by maritime safety observers as an area requiring enhanced traffic separation and anchorage coordination.
For the Nigerian maritime sector, the incident carries several implications. First, it tests the operational effectiveness of NIMASA’s Deep Blue infrastructure in a crisis response scenario beyond its primary anti-piracy mandate. Second, the involvement of a Nigerian-flagged tanker and an internationally-flagged container vessel raises questions about flag state responsibilities and the sharing of investigative jurisdiction. Third, the confirmed oil spill adds an environmental dimension that will draw scrutiny from NESREA, the Federal Ministry of Environment, and potentially international bodies, given the presence of a Singapore-flagged vessel.
With both vessels grounded and the investigation at an early stage, industry stakeholders — including terminal operators, freight forwarders, and petroleum product shippers with interests in the Bonny axis — will be watching closely for updates on channel clearance timelines and the findings of NIMASA’s formal marine casualty inquiry.
Waterways News will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as the investigation progresses.
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