Navy rescues 11 passengers, shuts down Illegal Refining Sites in Delta, Rivers

The Nigerian Navy has rescued 11 passengers from a sinking speedboat and deactivated several illegal refining sites in Rivers and Delta states.

The passengers, comprising six males and five females, were rescued from a speedboat that developed engine failure along the Bonny River on Tuesday.

According to a statement on Thursday by the Navy spokesman, Commodore A. Adams-Aliyu the boat, which was travelling from Nembe Waterside Jetty in Port Harcourt to Coal Beach Jetty in Bonny Island, began taking in water near the Federal Ocean Terminal in Onne, Rivers State.

Adams-Aliyu said the patrol team responded during heavy rainfall and transported the passengers to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Jetty for medical checks before handing them over to the Marine Police.

“The swift response of the Forward Operating Base Bonny patrol team under heavy rainfall prevented a major tragedy, and all rescued passengers—six males and five females—were safely taken to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Jetty for medical checks and subsequently handed over to the Marine Police for reunification with their families, ” the statement partly read.

He also said the Navy intensified operations against crude oil theft in four locations across the Niger Delta on November 5.

According to him, personnel of FOB Escravos deactivated two illegal refining sites at Obodo Omadino Community in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

“The Nigerian Navy Ship PATHFINDER patrol team uncovered and deactivated an illegal refining site containing three cooking ovens, six reservoirs, sacks, jerrycans, and dugout pits filled with stolen crude oil and illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil around the Bakana and Isaka general areas of Rivers State. Similarly, Forward Operating Base Bonny personnel dismantled an active illegal refining site at Eyamba Community in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, and the Nigerian Navy Ship DELTA patrol team deactivated another site at Opumani Creek in Warri South Local Government Area, Delta State, ” the statement added.

The rescue operation on the Bonny River underscores recurring safety challenges in Nigeria’s inland water transportation system, including poorly maintained vessels, engine failures, and unpredictable weather.

The Bonny–Port Harcourt route is one of the busiest waterways for passengers and maritime logistics, particularly as road access to Bonny Island is limited.