By Seun Ibiyemi
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has detained four vessels in the Lagos maritime domain as part of an intensified enforcement drive targeting operators suspected of violating Nigeria’s maritime regulations and cabotage requirements.
The vessels, identified as MT HOLMES, MT FUJAIRAH ENERGY, JS GRATITUDE and MT BORA, were arrested during a targeted enforcement operation codenamed Operation Sea Guardian, launched to strengthen regulatory compliance and promote indigenous participation in Nigeria’s coastal and inland shipping trade.
NIMASA said some of the detained vessels had been released after regularising their infractions, while the operation was designed to ensure compliance with applicable maritime laws, cabotage obligations, surcharges and levies.
The exercise involved the deployment of assets under the Deep Blue Project to track, board, inspect and verify the operational status of vessels identified through intelligence reports and surveillance profiling.
The operation was conducted through collaboration among NIMASA enforcement personnel, the Nigerian Navy, the Maritime Guard Command and C4i intelligence personnel.
According to the agency, the enforcement exercise was a follow-up initiative aimed at strengthening compliance monitoring and ensuring that operators adhere to statutory requirements governing maritime activities in Nigerian waters.
The agency explained that intelligence gathered through surveillance and compliance indicators helped identify vessels considered to have a high likelihood of defaulting on cabotage obligations.
The vessels were subsequently prioritised for scrutiny and incorporated into a broader Target Bank established during an earlier enforcement operation.
NIMASA said the updated Target Bank serves as a consolidated repository of vessels of interest and a reference point for planning subsequent enforcement activities, enabling the agency to concentrate operational resources on high-risk targets.
Reacting to the operation, NIMASA Director-General, Dr Dayo Mobereola, said enforcement activities would become more frequent, warning that operators found violating relevant maritime laws would face the full consequences of their actions.
Mobereola said the agency had previously notified stakeholders of its intention to strengthen enforcement of indigenous participation in Nigeria’s coastal and inland shipping trade.
“We had earlier served notice of enhanced enforcement of indigenous participation in our coastal and inland trade and this is exactly what we are doing,” he said.
He urged shipowners, charterers and other maritime operators to ensure full compliance with applicable regulations, warning that offenders would face stiff sanctions.
“It is therefore in the interest of operators to ensure total compliance because defaulters will be visited with stiff sanctions in line with the law,” the NIMASA chief added.
The agency said the operation formed part of its broader efforts to ensure that vessels operating within Nigerian waters comply with statutory obligations and that eligible indigenous operators are not disadvantaged by regulatory violations.
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The latest operation follows a marine notice issued by NIMASA on August 26, 2026, in which it restated the conditions governing participation in Nigeria’s cabotage trade.
The notice was issued pursuant to the agency’s statutory mandate to promote the development of indigenous capacity in international and coastal shipping.
In the notice, NIMASA warned that vessels, companies, operators, charterers and other stakeholders found to be in breach of the Cabotage Act or other applicable cabotage requirements would face enforcement action in accordance with the law.
The agency had also warned that violations would attract appropriate sanctions, signalling a tougher approach to monitoring compliance across the maritime sector.
Cabotage regulation is a key component of Nigeria’s efforts to encourage local participation in coastal shipping, develop indigenous maritime capacity and strengthen the domestic shipping industry.
With Operation Sea Guardian, NIMASA is seeking to reinforce compliance through intelligence-led surveillance, coordinated inspections and enforcement against vessels suspected of violating the rules.
The agency maintained that maritime operators must regularise any outstanding infractions and comply with applicable requirements to avoid detention and other sanctions.
