NIMASA detains vessels in Lagos over cabotage rules
- NIMASA says several vessels were detained in Lagos waters, including MT HOLMES, MT FUJAIRAH ENERGY, JS GRATITUDE and MT BORA.
- The agency says some vessels have been released after regularising their infractions.
- NIMASA's director-general, Dr Dayo Mobereola, warns defaulting operators will face sanctions.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has detained several vessels in Lagos waters over alleged breaches of the country's cabotage rules, the agency said on Wednesday.
NIMASA named four of the vessels as MT HOLMES, MT FUJAIRAH ENERGY, JS GRATITUDE and MT BORA. The detentions came from an enforcement exercise the agency calls Operation Sea Guardian.
Osagie Edward, NIMASA's deputy director and head of public relations, said in a statement that some of the vessels have since been released after they regularised their infractions.
The cabotage law reserves coastal and inland shipping trade in Nigeria for vessels and operators with local participation. For ordinary Nigerians, stronger enforcement is meant to keep more shipping work and jobs in local hands rather than with foreign-owned operators.
How the operation worked
According to Edward, the operation targeted vessels flagged through intelligence and surveillance profiling rather than random checks. NIMASA deployed its Deep Blue assets to track, board and inspect the vessels.
The exercise involved NIMASA enforcement personnel working with the Nigerian Navy, the Maritime Guard Command and C4i intelligence officers.
Edward said the vessels were added to a "target bank" first set up during an earlier enforcement operation. That list, he said, helps the agency focus its resources on high-risk targets.
The operation checked cabotage obligations, surcharge and levy compliance, and other maritime regulations.
What happens next
NIMASA's Director-General, Dr Dayo Mobereola, said such operations will become more frequent and that operators found in default will face sanctions under the law.
"It is therefore in the interest of operators to ensure total compliance because defaulters will be visited with stiff sanctions in line with the law," Mobereola said.
The agency had issued a marine notice on August 26, 2026, restating the conditions for engaging in cabotage trade. In that notice, NIMASA warned that any vessel, company, operator, charterer or other stakeholder found breaching the Cabotage Act would face enforcement action.
Both Punch and Independent reported the same details of the operation, including the names of the four vessels and the agencies involved.
