The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said the attempted piracy attack on the Maltese-flagged chemical tanker, MT ENDO PONENTE, in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG)has been successfully foiled.
In a statement by the deputy director of Public Relations, NIMASA, Osagie Edward, on Friday, 28th August 2025, the Visit, Board, Search and Seizure, VBSS, team of the Togo Navy boarded the vessel and confirmed that all crew members were safe, with no material damage recorded onboard.
According to him, the vessel is now under the custody of the Togo Navy, which promptly reported the situation to the Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre, MCC, Zone E, under the Yaoundé Architecture for maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, which covers Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and the Niger Republic.
“This operation underscores the value of regional cooperation. MMCC Zone F, headquartered in Accra, Ghana, provided constant monitoring and information-sharing with all relevant stakeholders throughout the incident. Investigations are currently ongoing to establish the identity of the attackers.”
LEADERSHIP recalls that the NIMASA Special Mission Vessel, DB Lagos, operated by the Nigerian Navy under the Deep Blue Project, was deployed following confirmation of the attempted attack at the NIMASA C4i Centre in Lagos.