The Heroic Rescue of Nue Swift

The Heroic Rescue of Nue Swift

A Nigerian- Flagged Surfer Crew Boat, called Nue Swift, was heroically rescued on the 5th of July 2022 by a Nigerian Navy warship, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Okpabana. Nue Swift with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Number 006050675, is a crew boat owned by Nue Offshore Limited, used to ferry oil workers between terminals, vessels and other installations. 

On the 4th of July 2022, the Nue Swift, under command of Captain Loveday Amakiri left Warri port for Single Buoy Mooring (SBM3) at Bonny. The boat with a crew of 5 Nigerians experienced total machinery failure, and ended up drifting. The Chief Engineer made spirited efforts to rectify the faults to no avail. The crew endured being at the mercy of the rough weather, associated with the rainy season which peaked at Sea State 4. The crew made several distress calls, but received no response. After several hours drifting on the high seas, the crew's distress call received a response from NNS Okpabana. The warship requested the location of the Nue Swift and asked for details of the crew. 

The rescue was eventually executed at about 2pm on 5th July 2022 and the crew of Nue Swift were relieved after their 32 hour ordeal of being in distress. The warship towed the Nue Swift all the way from the point of rescue to the Bonny anchorage area. The crew were subjected to medical evaluation and counselling by the Navy medical team. The next morning, the boat and its crew were handed over to the Navy’s Forward Operations Base at Bonny, from where the company’s representatives came to receive them on the 6th July 2022. 

Commanded by Navy Captain Oluseyi Oladipo, NNS Okpabana is a 115 metre long vessel donated to the Nigerian Navy by the United States Government in 2014.  The ship used to be known as United States Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin. NNS Okpabana, which is the sister ship of NNS Thunder, has been involved in several operational missions in and around the Gulf of Guinea. Notably, in 2016, NNS Okpabana rescued a merchant ship, MT Maximus, from pirates who had hijacked her and taken her to Sao Tome and Principe waters.

Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) represents Nigeria at the IMO and coordinates all Flag State actions including Maritime Search and Rescue. To enhance efficiency, NIMASA enjoys a robust working partnership with the Nigerian Navy. This partnership needs to be leveraged in order to enhance maritime search and rescue in Nigeria.