Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, FOB, Bonny has rescued 11 passengers from a sinking speedboat along the Bonny-Port Harcourt waterway, in what officials described as a swift and courageous operation carried out under heavy rainfall.
The incident occurred in the afternoon of Tuesday, near the Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne, Rivers State.
According to the Base Operations Officer, Lieutenant Commander Sirajo Almustapha, the rescue was executed while Naval personnel were on routine escort duties in the area.
“On Tuesday 4 November 2025 at 1300, while conducting routine escort duties around Onne general area, FOB Bonny armed personnel observed a distressed passenger boat experiencing severe water ingress. The boat had 21 passengers onboard at the time of the incident,” he said.
The ill-fated speedboat, which departed Nembe Waterside Jetty in Port Harcourt at about 12:50 p.m., was heading to Coal Beach Jetty, Bonny Island, before it developed an engine fault that caused water to flood into the hull.
“The large number of passengers in the boat further exacerbated the water ingress,” Lt. Cdr. Almustapha noted.
He said the Navy personnel acted swiftly, rescuing 11 passengers, comprising six males and five females, to lighten the load and prevent the vessel from capsizing.
“It is noteworthy that the rescue operation was conducted under heavy rainfall. The rescued passengers were conveyed to NLNG Bonny Jetty,” he stated.
After the rescue, the passengers were debriefed at FOB Bonny and later handed over to the Marine Police in Bonny, represented by Assistant Superintendent of Police Friday Nyeche, to be reunited with their families.
Lt. Cdr. Almustapha confirmed that the boat’s engines were fixed later in the afternoon. “The passenger boat’s engines were rectified at 1558 and the boat driver along with the remaining 10 passengers proceeded to Coal Beach Jetty in Bonny Island,” he said.
He assured that the Navy would continue to strengthen patrols and safety operations across its jurisdiction. “FOB BONNY would sustain efforts towards ensuring the safety and security of the waterways within the area of operations for legal economic and commercial activities to thrive,” he added.
The officer further noted that the rescue reflects the operational priorities of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas in protecting maritime routes and critical national assets.
“Some of these operational activities include routine patrols, anti-crude oil theft, anti-illegal bunkering, anti-kidnapping as well as search and rescue operations,” he said.
The rescue underscores the Navy’s increasing vigilance along the Bonny waterways, a critical maritime corridor for oil and gas logistics and other commercial transport in the Niger Delta.
