In a dramatic rescue operation on Monday, the Nigerian Navy successfully evacuated 20 crew members from a vessel engulfed in flames along the Calabar section of the Oron–Calabar waterways in Cross River State.
The incident involved the Motor Vessel (MV) Chimba Express, which was en route from Gabon to Calabar, carrying scrap materials and other cargo, when the blaze broke out around 1:00 pm on 22 December 2025.
Lieutenant Commander Kelechi Ahunanya, Base Operations Officer of NNS Victory, told reporters that the distress call was received while the naval patrol ship NNS OSE was on routine duty in the area. “We were alerted to smoke and fire onboard the vessel and immediately vectored towards the distress signal,” he said.
On arrival, naval personnel observed thick black smoke billowing from the midship and aft sections of the vessel. Some crew members had abandoned ship and were in the water, while others remained stranded on deck.
“Crew members who had abandoned the vessel, as well as those stranded on deck, were rescued using life buoys,” Lieutenant Commander Ahunanya said, adding that all rescued seafarers were given first aid.
Of the 21 crew members reported onboard — including 14 Nigerians and seven Cameroonians — 20 were brought safely aboard naval craft and taken to safety.
However, the Chief Engineer, believed to have jumped overboard in fear of an explosion, remains unaccounted for, and ongoing search efforts are being conducted in coordination with naval assets and local fishermen.
Personnel from the Forward Operating Base Ibaka and the Naval Security Station 030 Houseboat supported the operation, which also saw portable pumps deployed to fight the fierce blaze.
One of the rescued crew, Second Captain Sully Jean-Blaise, recounted how the fire erupted mid-afternoon. “It began quickly; the Navy’s swift response saved lives that day,” he said.
Lieutenant Commander Ahunanya reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to maritime safety and the protection of seafarers within Nigeria’s territorial waters, aligning the operation with the strategic objectives of the Chief of the Naval Staff.
The rescued seafarers are undergoing medical assessment at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital in Calabar and will be reunited with their families once cleared by health officials.
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