By Nkechi Eze
The Nigerian Navy has once again demonstrated its steadfast commitment to safeguarding the nation’s maritime environment through a series of successful rescue and anti-crude oil theft operations across the Niger Delta region.
In an official statement signed by the Director of Information, Nigerian Navy, Commodore Adams-Aliu, the Navy disclosed that personnel of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, rescued eleven passengers from a sinking speedboat along the Bonny River in Rivers State.
According to the statement, the ill-fated boat, which departed Nembe Waterside Jetty in Port Harcourt and was heading to Coal Beach Jetty in Bonny Island, developed engine failure midstream and began to take in water near the Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne. The prompt intervention of the FOB Bonny patrol team under heavy rainfall averted what could have been a major tragedy. All eleven passengers, six males and five females were safely rescued and transported to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Jetty for medical examination. They were later handed over to the Marine Police for onward reunification with their families.
In a related development, the Nigerian Navy intensified its anti-crude oil theft operations with the deactivation of several illegal refining sites across the Niger Delta on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.
Personnel of the Forward Operating Base Escravos deactivated two illegal refining sites located at Obodo Omadino Community in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State. Similarly, the patrol team of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER uncovered and deactivated an illegal refining site around the Bakana and Isaka general areas of Rivers State. The site contained three cooking ovens, six reservoirs, numerous sacks and jerrycans, as well as dugout pits filled with stolen crude oil and illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
Elsewhere, personnel of the Forward Operating Base Bonny dismantled an active illegal refining site at Eyamba Community in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, while the Nigerian Navy Ship DELTA patrol team destroyed another site at Opumani Creek in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.
Commodore Adams-Aliu noted that these operations reflect the Nigerian Navy’s renewed vigour under the leadership of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas (Admiralty Medal), in the ongoing campaign against crude oil theft and other maritime crimes. He emphasized that the Navy remains resolute in ensuring maritime safety, protecting vital national assets, and fostering lawful economic activities in Nigeria’s coastal and offshore zones.
The recent operations, which combined swift rescue response with coordinated enforcement against economic sabotage, underscore the Navy’s growing operational efficiency and its determination to secure the nation’s maritime domain from all forms of illegality.
