Sunken boat subject of litigation, under EFCC custody –NIMASA

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has said the NIMASA-Barugu ship that sank on Saturday was the subject of litigation in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Mr Edward Osagie, Deputy Director of Public Relations of NIMASA, made it known in a statement made available to journalists in Lagos.

The Nigerian News Agency reports that the NIMASA/Barugu, one of the gunboats in the Global West Vessels Specialists (GWVS) fleet, sank at the Kirikiri Terminal behind the NIMASA Resource Center over the weekend.

The boat reportedly sank at around 10:13 p.m. on Saturday despite efforts to save it.

Osagie said the incident was an unfortunate development, but noted that the vessel referenced was one of the Global West vessels that was in service with the Agency years ago.

“This ship has been named NIMASA-Barugu since the days of the contract. There are also other boats in this contract category at Warri.

“Together, the ships and their management have been the subject of litigation and in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for years,” he said.

He said that for the avoidance of doubt, it was on record that NIMASA had recently made concerted efforts to reactivate some of the ships in service in this fleet, but had been hampered by liens due to the nature of the court case.

“As a law-abiding entity, we approached the matter under strong legal advice.

“Finally, it should be noted that this vessel was not at our pier or under our management at the time of the incident.

“The crew onboard does not report to NIMASA but to the management of Global West, its owners,” he said.

He noted that NIMASA remains committed to its statutory responsibility to manage safety and regulate the industry within the scope of any legal framework.