The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has clarified that a suspected piracy attack reported on Friday, May 30, 2025, did not occur within Nigerian territorial waters but far off in the wider Gulf of Guinea, near São Tomé and Príncipe.
In a detailed statement released on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, the agency explained that the incident happened at coordinates 2°37’35”N, 6°46’47”E—approximately 75 nautical miles northwest of Santo Antonio Port in São Tomé and 420 nautical miles from Southeast Nigeria. This puts the attack well outside Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), refuting initial speculations suggesting the piracy occurred near Nigerian shores.
The attack involved the MV ORAGE FROST, a general cargo vessel flying the flag of Curaçao and bearing IMO number 9797656. According to NIMASA, the ship had just completed a cargo loading operation in Douala, Cameroon, and was en route to Matadi, Congo—a route that frequently passes through ports in West and Central African countries including Ghana, Togo, and Benin.
“On May 30, 2025, at approximately 1614 UTC, the C4i Operational Centre of NIMASA received a distress alert via the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) system, reporting a suspected pirate attack,” the statement read.
Although the exact nature of the attack is still under investigation, the agency has confirmed that the MV ORAGE FROST was able to transmit a distress call in time, prompting coordinated responses from regional partners. NIMASA stated that it is actively working with the Nigerian Navy and allied maritime security forces in the Gulf of Guinea to investigate the incident and ensure the safety of the vessel’s crew.
The agency reassured the public and international shipping partners that Nigeria remains fully committed to maintaining the security of its maritime domain. It cited continued collaboration under the Deep Blue Project, a multimillion-dollar maritime security initiative launched by the Federal Government to combat piracy, sea robbery, and other illicit activities in Nigerian waters and the broader Gulf of Guinea.
“Our roads are the lifelines of commerce and social integration, and their maintenance is not merely a policy directive but a national imperative. The five per cent user charge, as enshrined in the FERMA Act, was designed to serve as a sustainable funding mechanism for road maintenance and rehabilitation,” the agency emphasized.
This latest incident, while occurring far beyond Nigeria’s direct jurisdiction, underscores the lingering threat of maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, historically known as one of the world’s most dangerous waters for commercial shipping. However, recent international reports, including those from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), indicate a steady decline in piracy incidents in the region, credited in part to joint security efforts led by Nigeria.
NIMASA’s swift response and transparency in addressing the incident have been lauded by maritime stakeholders as a sign of Nigeria’s maturing maritime governance and crisis communication structure.
“The fact that the attack occurred over 400 nautical miles away from Nigeria but still drew immediate attention from Nigerian authorities speaks volumes about the country’s leadership in regional maritime safety,” said an industry analyst based in Lagos.
As investigations continue, NIMASA reiterated its call for stronger multilateral cooperation among Gulf of Guinea nations, urging consistent information sharing, patrol coordination, and capacity building to deter future threats and ensure a safe shipping environment.
With international shipping routes vital to Africa’s trade infrastructure, maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea remains a top priority for Nigeria, and incidents such as this serve as a reminder of the need for vigilance beyond territorial waters.