The Deep Blue Team of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said it has rescued a total of seven workers onboard a vessel in Lagos following a distress call to the agency after an accident occurred onboard.
According to the agency, the call was made to Bashir Jamoh, the director general of the NIMASA at about 11.30 pm on February 2, 2023, from the Safety Officer on MT ALIMA.
The officers reported that while cleaning the tanks of the vessel located at the single buoy mooring area in Lagos by a private cleaning company, eight of the cleaners developed complications due to insufficient oxygen in the tank to sustain them.
Jamoh immediately directed the NIMASA Head of the Deep Blue project and Head of the Maritime Safety Department to deploy one of the fast intervention boats for rescue operations and also directed immediate medical attention to the survivors.
Read also: Tension in Ondo as armed herdsmen invade communities, kill 6
NIMASA said its team took the seven survivors to the military hospital at Ikoyi for medical attention, where they are presently recovering at various degrees.
“Five of them are now stable, one has a broken leg, and one is still in critical condition,” the agency added.
While reassuring the maritime community of NIMASA’s 24-hour vigilance to respond to distress calls using any of the procured air, land and sea assets, Jamoh urged operators to be meticulous about basic safety standards at all times.
He further advised that anyone working on board vessels should update themselves with required training that complies with Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) in line with the revised Manila Convention.
Jamoh thanked the rescue team for the operation and urged them to keep the maritime tradition of round-the-clock watchkeeping and timely response at all times.
