Oluchi Chibuzor
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has performed a focused enforcement operation code named Operation Sea Guardian to be able to enforcecompliance with maritime rules in Nigeria waters.
The operation which targeted on vessels of curiosity recognized via intelligence and surveillance profiling led to the arrest and detention of a number of vessels for nonconformity together with MT HOLMES, MT FUJAIRAH ENERGY, JS GRATITUDE, MT BORA throughout the Lagos maritime area. Some of the vessels which have regularised their infractions have since been launch.
Operation Sea Guardian was performed as a follow-up enforcement initiative geared toward strengthening regulatory compliance, verifying cabotage obligations, assessing surcharge and levy compliance, and guaranteeing adherence to relevant maritime rules. It deployed Deep Blue property to assist monitor, board, examine, and confirm the operational standing of vessels recognized via intelligence experiences and compliance indicators via efficient inter-agency cooperation amongst NIMASA enforcement personnel, the Nigerian Navy, the Maritime Guard Command and C4i intelligence personnel.
Through this intelligence-driven course of, vessels assessed as having a excessive probability of defaulting on cabotage obligations had been recognized and prioritized for additional scrutiny. These vessels had been subsequently integrated right into a broader Target Bank that had been established in the course of the first enforcement operation. The up to date Target Bank offers a consolidated repository of vessels of curiosity and serves as the first reference for planning and executing the enforcement actions, guaranteeing that operational sources had been targeted on high-risk targets.
Reacting to the event, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola emphasised that such operations are going to be extra frequent and that defaulting operators would face the total wrath of the legislation.
According to him, “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. 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.”
NIMASA had on August 26, 2026 issued a marine discover pursuant to its statutory mandate to advertise the event of indigenous capability in worldwide and coastal transport commerce to involved stakeholders clearly restating the circumstances for participating in Cabotage commerce and warned that, “any vessel, company, operator, charterer or other stakeholder found to be in breach of the Cabotage Act or any other applicable Cabotage requirement shall be subject to appropriate enforcement action by the Agency in accordance with the law, without further recourse to violators.”
