The Nigerian Navy’s Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny executed a daring rescue on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, pulling 11 passengers to safety from a sinking speedboat near the Federal Ocean Terminal in Onne, Rivers State.
Lieutenant Commander Sirajo Almustapha, Base Operations Officer, said the boat, carrying 21 souls from Nembe Waterside Jetty in Port Harcourt to Coal Beach Jetty in Bonny Island, suffered engine failure at 1:00 p.m., allowing water to flood in, worsened by overloading.
Navy personnel on routine escort spotted the distress, swiftly evacuating six men and five women to lighten the vessel while repairs were made.
The rescued were debriefed at FOB Bonny and handed to Marine Police ASP Friday Nyeche by 4:40 p.m. for family reunions. The boat, fixed by 3:58 p.m., continued with the driver and 10 remaining passengers.
Almustapha vowed sustained waterway vigilance to protect lives, commerce, and infrastructure, aligning with Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Idi Abbas’s mandate for patrols, anti-theft operations, and search-and-rescue missions.
