WAF Shipping Focus: Week 21
- Agwe Logistics Solutions
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) says it has commenced investigation into the collision between MT Lady Martina and container vessel MV Maersk Valparaiso at the Bonny Inner Anchorage in Rivers State, which left five crew members aboard the tanker with varying degrees of injuries. NIMASA disclosed that the incident occurred on May 20, 2026, at about
11:30 a.m. when MV Maersk Valparaiso, a Singapore flagged container vessel, collided with MT Lady Martina, a Nigerian-flagged oil products tanker.
The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) has intensified safety inspections at major ferry terminals across Lagos State to enforce strict compliance with waterways safety regulations and raise operational standards. The inspection campaign covered several terminals and jetties, including Ipakodo, Bayeku, Ijede,
Ebute-Ero, Liverpool, Sabokoji, Alex, and Coconut, with a primary focus on boat seaworthiness and life jacket safety compliance.
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, frustrating renewed attempts by criminal syndicates to re-establish illegal
refining networks in Rivers and Delta states. The operations were carried out by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER and NNS DELTA under
Operation DELTA SENTINEL during sustained anti-crude oil theft patrols across the region.
Maritime experts, economists, and shipping stakeholders have thrown their weight behind plans by billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote to build an additional deep seaport in Nigeria. Speaking in the wake of the recent Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) meeting, key industry leaders stated that the country needs more deep seaports to tackle severe port congestion and reclaim multi-billion dollar transit cargo businesses currently being lost to West African neighbours like Togo and Benin Republic.
The signs are there, that the much-expected National Single Window (NSW) is not living up to expectation. And this is causing apprehension among the various
stakeholder groups in the Nigerian maritime industry. Reports indicate that, due to technical integration issues, the National Single Window is yet to integrate
critical relevant government agencies, terminal operators and shipping companies.
The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) and the leadership of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) have reaffirmed their
commitment to deeper collaboration aimed at improving trade facilitation, freight forwarding regulation, and workers’ welfare in the maritime sector. This was the focus of discussions during a courtesy visit by members of the National Executive Council of MWUN to the management of CRFFN, led by the Registrar/CEO, Mr. Kingsley Igwe.
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