NIMASA restates commitment to regional maritime safety
Orisemeke Benjamin
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has said it is committed to the protection of maritime operators in the Gulf of Guinea.
The reassurance by NIMASA is coming after an attempted piracy incident in the Gulf of Guinea area.
According to a statement by Deputy Director/Head, Public Relations of NIMASA, Osagie Edwards, Friday, “At 20:53hrs on Thursday, August 28, 2025, the C4i Centre of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) received an alert from the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade (MDAT) Gulf of Guinea Watchkeepers regarding an attempted boarding of the Malta-flagged chemical tanker, ENDO PONENTE, at position 05°10’N, 001°23’E, close to Lome Port, Togo.
“Intelligence gathered from the C4i Centre later placed the vessel at 04°19’16”N, 01°35’59”E, within Ghana’s Exclusive Economic Zone.”
The NIMASA spokesman explained that the NIMASA Special Mission Vessel DB Lagos, operated by the Nigerian Navy under the Deep Blue Project, was immediately alerted and it is currently closing in on the distressed vessel.
Presently Edwards said, the maritime agency is actively coordinating with the Nigerian Navy and other regional maritime security agencies to ensure the safety of the crew and to support ongoing investigations into the incident.
Commenting on the development, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, reaffirmed the Agency ’s, stating:
“NIMASA remains committed to strengthening security collaboration across the Gulf of Guinea to safeguard seafarers, deter criminal activity, and ensure safer maritime trade, leveraging on the Deep Blue Project.”
The ENDO PONENTE, a moderate-risk Maltese-flagged chemical tanker, generally operates across West, Central, and Southern African regions. Its last port call was at Kalamu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
