NIMASA Strengthens Cabotage Enforcement, Detains Defaulting Vessels

By Babatunde Aremu

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has intensified enforcement of Nigeria’s Cabotage regulations with the launch of a targeted maritime operation, codenamed Operation Sea Guardian, which resulted in the detention of several vessels for alleged non-compliance.

The operation, conducted within the Lagos maritime domain, focused on vessels identified through intelligence gathering, surveillance and compliance profiling. Among the vessels detained were MT HOLMES, MT FUJAIRAH ENERGY, JS GRATITUDE and MT BORA.

NIMASA said some of the affected vessels have since been released after regularising their infractions.

According to the Agency, Operation Sea Guardian was designed to strengthen regulatory compliance, verify Cabotage obligations, assess compliance with applicable surcharges and levies, and ensure adherence to maritime regulations.

The operation involved NIMASA enforcement personnel working in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy, Maritime Guard Command and C4i intelligence personnel, with Deep Blue assets deployed to track, board, inspect and verify vessels identified through intelligence reports and compliance indicators.

NIMASA explained that intelligence-driven profiling enabled enforcement teams to identify vessels considered to have a high likelihood of defaulting on Cabotage obligations.

The identified vessels were subsequently added to a broader Target Bank established during an earlier enforcement operation. The updated Target Bank serves as a consolidated repository of vessels of interest and guides the deployment of operational resources towards high-risk targets.

Reacting to the development, NIMASA Director-General, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, said the enforcement operations would become more frequent, warning that operators found violating the law would face sanctions.

He said the Agency had earlier notified stakeholders of enhanced enforcement of indigenous participation in Nigeria’s coastal and inland trade.

“We had earlier served notice of enhanced enforcement of indigenous participation in our coastal and inland trade and this is exactly what we are doing,” Mobereola said.

He urged maritime operators to ensure full compliance with the law, stressing that defaulters would face stiff sanctions.

“It is therefore in the interest of operators to ensure total compliance because defaulters will be visited with stiff sanctions in line with the law,” he added.

The development follows a Marine Notice issued by NIMASA on August 26, 2026, in which the Agency restated the conditions for participation in Cabotage trade and warned vessels, companies, operators, charterers and other stakeholders against violating the Cabotage Act and related requirements.

NIMASA said any stakeholder found in breach of the Cabotage Act or other applicable Cabotage requirements would be subjected to appropriate enforcement action in accordance with the law.