The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has confirmed that only MT Holmes and MT Sabeak were detained during a targeted enforcement operation code named Operation Sea Guardian to enforce compliance with maritime regulations in Nigeria waters.

Deputy Director/Head, Public Relations, NIMASA, Osagie Edward, said contrary to the earlier statement, MT Fujairah Energy, JS Gratitude and MT Bora were not detained as they were in full compliance with the Cabotage Act and other extant regulations.

“However, MT Holmes and MT Sabeak were the vessels detained for non-compliance,” he emphasised.

Edward said the statement has been released for transparency purposes while the inconvenience caused to the affected vessels and their owners by the mix up is regretted.

“Operation Sea Guardian was conducted as a follow-up enforcement initiative aimed at strengthening regulatory compliance, verifying cabotage obligations, assessing surcharge and levy compliance, and ensuring adherence to applicable maritime regulations.

“It deployed Deep Blue assets to help track, board, inspect and verify the operational status of vessels identified through intelligence reports and compliance indicators through effective inter-agency cooperation among NIMASA enforcement personnel, the Nigerian Navy, the Maritime Guard Command and C4i intelligence personnel,” he stated.