- Safiu Kehinde
The Nigerian Navy has rescued 10 crew members stranded in a distressed vessel, MV SEMA III, which was enroute Calabar from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Ayiwuyor Adams-Aliu, on Monday in Abuja.
The operation, according to Adams-Aliu, was carried out by personnel of Forward Operating Base IBAKA on Friday.
On arrival, the personnel evacuated all crew members comprising of eight Nigerians, one Cameroonian, and one Equatorial Guinean from the vessel.
“Acting on a distress call received around 20:00 hours, a naval gunboat equipped with a submersible pump was immediately deployed.
“On arrival, the team discovered the vessel taking in water and promptly evacuated all occupants comprising one Cameroonian, one Equatorial Guinean and eight Nigerians, who were later received, debriefed, and catered for at FOB IBAKA until Saturday.
“The Master of MV SEMA III expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Nigerian Navy for its timely intervention and exceptional professionalism,” he said.
Adams-Aliu said the successful rescue operation underscores the Nigerian navy’s renewed efforts to ensure maritime safety, protection of critical national assets, and promotion of lawful economic activities within Nigeria’s maritime domain.