In furtherance of its inter-agency collaboration to assure the safety and security of the nation’s maritime environment, the Nigerian Navy has handed over a vessel it arrested recently to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Commanding Officer, Forward Operating Base (FOB), Nigerian Navy (NN), Akiama, Bonny, Navy Capt. Badamasi Ishaq Yahuza, while handing over the vessel to the Head of NIMASA Bonny Island Office, Bonny, James Nebonta, an Assistant Director, Maritime Environment Management (MEM), said the process was to enable NIMASA carry out further Investigation and possible prosecution.

Navy Capt. Yahuza was represented by the Regulating Officer, FOB, Nigerian Navy, Bonny, Sub Lt. Justin Orer, while Mr. Nebonta was represented by the Principal Maritime Labour Officer, NIMASA, Bonny, Obasi Chekidi.

According to the Nigerian Navy, the arrested vessel, MV SOTERIA, was intercepted and arrested along the Bonny Anchorage on May 18, 2021, after being flagged by the Nigerian Navy Maritime Domain Awareness Monitoring Systems for inconsistencies in her Automatic Identification System (AIS) transmission data”.

The Automatic Identification System (AIS) helps ships and other sea going vessels to be aware of each other’s position by transmitting each ship or vessel’s position to others to avoid collisions. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and other maritime management bodies require large ships, including many commercial fishing vessels, to broadcast their position with AIS in order to avoid collisions.

This has assisted ground stations and satellites pick up information about ships and other vessels thus making vessels trackable even in the most remote areas of the ocean as each year, more than 400,000 AIS devices broadcast vessel location, identity, course and speed information.

Navy Capt. Yahuza stated that the arrest was “in line with the FOB, Bonny Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE) efforts,” adding that this would enable and facilitate proper investigation to be carried out on the vessel and, if found culpable, would be made to face prosecution.

The handover of MV SOTERIA is a further demonstration of the continued efforts of the Forward Operating Base (FOB), Nigerian Navy, Bonny to entrench stakeholder management and inter-agency collaboration in its operations.