The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has confirmed that a piracy incident reported last Friday, May 30, 2025, did not take place within Nigerian territorial waters but in the broader Gulf of Guinea region.

In a statement released on Tuesday, NIMASA explained that the event occurred at coordinates 2°37’35”N, 6°46’47”E, about 75 nautical miles northwest of Santo Antonio Port in São Tomé and Príncipe. The location lies approximately 420 nautical miles from Southeast Nigeria.

“On May 30, 2025, at approximately 1614 UTC, the C4i Operational Centre of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) received a distress alert via the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG), reporting a suspected pirate attack on a commercial vessel,” the agency stated.

Preliminary investigations identified the affected vessel as MV ORAGE FROST, a general cargo ship bearing the IMO number 9797656 and flying the flag of Curaçao.

According to the agency, the vessel had recently completed cargo loading in Douala, Cameroon, and was en route to Matadi, Congo. Its regular shipping route includes ports in Cameroon, Togo, Ghana, and Benin.

NIMASA assured that it is actively working with the Nigerian Navy and regional maritime security partners to safeguard the crew and support the ongoing investigation into the incident.

“We remain committed to regional maritime security cooperation to enhance safety and deter criminal activity in Nigerian waters and indeed the Gulf of Guinea, leveraging on the Deep Blue Project,” the agency said.