The attempted piracy attack on MT ENDO PONENTE in the Gulf of Guinea has been successfully foiled.
Last Friday, 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 a statement on Sunday by the Deputy Director/Head of Public Relations of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr. Edward Osagie said that the ship is now under the custody of the Togo Navy, who promptly reported the situation to the Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) Zone E, under the Yaoundé Architecture for Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea, which covers Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, and Niger Republic.
The agency said that the 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.
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.
Investigations are currently ongoing to establish the identity of the attackers, NIMASA said.
