The Nigerian Navy has rescued 20 crew members from a vessel that caught fire along the Calabar stretch of the Oron–Calabar waterways in Cross River State.

The incident occurred on December 22, 2025, when the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) OSE, while on routine patrol, responded to a distress call from Motor Vessel (MV) Chimba Express. The vessel was en route from Gabon to Calabar, conveying scrap materials and other logistics.

In a statement issued by the Base Operations Officer of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) VICTORY, Lieutenant Commander Kelechi Ahunanya, NNS OSE received the distress signal at about 1:00 pm and immediately proceeded to the scene.

Upon arrival, naval personnel observed thick smoke billowing from the vessel and swiftly commenced rescue and firefighting operations.

Crew members who had abandoned the vessel, as well as those stranded on deck, were rescued with the aid of life buoys and other emergency equipment.

According to the statement, 20 crew members were successfully rescued and administered first aid. The vessel had a total crew of 21, comprising 14 Nigerians and seven Cameronians.

Ahunanya disclosed that the vessel’s Chief Engineer, who reportedly jumped into the water for fear of an imminent explosion, remains missing, adding that search and rescue operations are ongoing.

He noted that personnel from the Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, Naval Security Station 030 Houseboat, and local fishermen supported the rescue efforts.

NNS OSE also deployed portable pumps to contain the fire, which affected the midship and aft sections of the vessel.
The Nigerian Navy reaffirmed its commitment to the safety of seafarers and the protection of maritime assets within Nigeria’s territorial waters, in line with the operational mandate of the Chief of the Naval Staff.

In November, the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny rescued 11 passengers from a sinking outboard engine-powered speedboat along the Bonny River.

The operation was conducted by armed personnel of FOB Bonny on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at about 1:00 p.m., near the Federal Ocean Terminal in Onne, Rivers State.

According to Lieutenant Commander Sirajo Almustapha, Base Operations Officer, the passenger boat developed an engine malfunction, which caused water to enter the vessel and was worsened by the large number of passengers on board.

Almustapha said that while conducting routine escort duties around the Onne general area, FOB Bonny personnel observed a distressed passenger boat sinking in the water.

He explained that the rescued passengers were debriefed at FOB Bonny before being handed over to a representative of the Marine Police, Assistant Superintendent of Police Friday Nyeche, at about 4:40 p.m., to be reunited with their families.

He added that the boat’s engine was repaired at about 3:58 pm, after which the driver and the remaining 10 passengers proceeded to Coal Beach Jetty in Bonny Island.