One Dead, Three Rescued after Vessel Collision off Nigeria

October 27, 2015

One person has died and three have been rescued following the collision of the Marshal Islands-flagged oil products tanker MT Elixir with a Nigerian self-propelled barge identified as MT Tank, some 65 nautical miles off the Nigerian coast.

The three rescued crew members, of the total of at least 12 reported to be on board MT Tank prior to the accident, are receiving treatment at Twins Clinic Warri.

According to the search and rescue personnel of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), preliminary reports show that the incident occurred at about 12 midnight on Monday 19th October 2015 and that MT Tank got broken in the process and started taking in water. The collision took place some 10 nautical miles south west of the Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit, located near Warri, in Nigeria’s Delta State.

NIMASA dispatched divers and other rescue personnel to the scene, where eight crew members of MT Tank had been trapped.

The Ag. Director General of the Agency, Haruna Baba Jauro is reported to have directed comprehensive rescue operation and a thorough investigation into the incident to ascertain the remote and immediate causes.

As last reported by NIMASA on Friday, the rescue operation was still ongoing for the remaining eight crew members.

Product Shipping and Trading S.A., manager of the MT Elixir, confirmed that its vessel was involved in the collision, stressing that the tanker has been detained by the local authorities until the investigation into the incident is completed.

“There is no imminent danger to the safety of the M/T Elixir, its crew, or to the environment,” the company said on Monday.

Speaking on behalf of Product Shipping and Trading, Tim O’Leary told World Maritime News earlier today that the remaining eight crew members of MT Tank remain unaccounted for.

World Maritime News Staff