Five crew members were injured in a collision between two ships in the Bonny Inner Anchorage in Nigeria.
According to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), a film of oil was detected on the water after the collision.
The recent accident involved the Nigerian-registered 57-meter oil tanker “Lady Martina” and the Singapore-flagged 1740 TEU container ship “Maersk Valparaiso”, built in 2010 by the Danish shipping company Maersk.
According to NIMASA, ten armed personnel from the Deep Blue Forward Operating Base were immediately dispatched to the scene of the accident. They were on board the interceptor vessel “DB 214”, which is part of the Deep Blue Project. Five crew members of the “Lady Martina” were evacuated with varying degrees of injuries and received medical treatment.
A film of oil was observed in the water after the collision. According to the authorities, they initiated monitoring of the situation and an environmental assessment. Measures are also being taken to contain any further spread of the pollution. The exact source of the oil leak was not initially named.
The “Lady Martina” drifted ashore after the collision and is currently aground in the Bonny Channel. The “Maersk Valparaiso” was also reported to have initially run aground in Bonny Inner Anchorage. The Maersk unit has since been freed and is now lying in the roadstead off the port of Onne. Further investigations and possible repairs are to be carried out there. According to the authorities, Maersk has officially reported the incident to NIMASA. An investigation into the cause of the collision has been initiated.
