The Nigerian Navy has rescued 11 passengers from a sinking speedboat in the Bonny River, Rivers State, after the vessel suffered an engine failure and began taking in water midstream.
The rescue, carried out under heavy rainfall by personnel of Forward Operating Base Bonny, averted what could have been a major tragedy.
Director of Naval Information, Commodore Aiwiyor Adams-Aliu, said the boat had departed Nembe Waterside Jetty in Port Harcourt and was heading to Coal Beach Jetty on Bonny Island when its engine failed near the Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne.
With the vessel rapidly flooding, the Navy patrol team intervened and brought all passengers — six men and five women — safely ashore.
The rescued travellers were taken to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Jetty for medical checks before being handed over to the Marine Police for reunification with their families.
The Navy described the swift action as a demonstration of its commitment to safeguarding lives along Nigeria’s inland waterways.
In a separate operation, the Navy said it had intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft across the Niger Delta, dismantling several illegal refining sites on Wednesday.
It said personnel from Forward Operating Base Escravos deactivated two sites in Obodo Omadino Community in Delta State, while Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder uncovered and shut down another site equipped with cooking ovens, reservoirs and pits filled with stolen crude and illegally refined diesel around the Bakana and Isaka axis in Rivers State.
Additional sites were dismantled by Forward Operating Base Bonny at Eyamba Community in Bonny Local Government Area and by Nigerian Navy Ship Delta at Opumani Creek in Warri South.
According to the Navy, these actions reflect renewed efforts under the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, to reinforce maritime security, protect national assets and suppress crude oil theft and other illegal activities in Nigeria’s waterways.
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