NIMASA expresses ignorance of sinking Nigerian flagged ship

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Authority (NIMASA), has said that it was not aware of the status of a Nigerian-flagged tug/supply vessel, christened MV Celine, currently almost submerged at the Escravos.

MV Celine, is currently almost submerged after allegedly hitting a large undergrowth, last week, around the breakwaters on its way to Warri.

Curiously, NIMASA, the regulatory agency charged with the core function of safety of vessels at sea, among other functions,  claimed ignorance of the incident.

The Deputy Director of Public Relations (DDPR) of the agency, Osamgbi Ischie told our correspondent that the agency was not aware of the incident which occured about five days ago.
“I am not aware “, he declared unequivocally.

It was however not immediately clear if the owners sent distress calls to all the relevant agencies, including NIMASA for assistance, as the present position of the vessel is becoming almost irredeemable. It was gathered that the crew of the sinking vessel was successfully evacuated.

The distressed high speed craft, MV Celine, was built in 2017 with IMO NO 9782584 and MMSI 356015000. The vessel’s call signs are 5NsL3, length 40, width 8m with current draught of 1.8m and speed of 10.1kn/16.5kn.

It was initially sighted on November 13th, 2017 and last seen April 18th, 2018 before its misfortune.