Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has foiled an attempt to hijack a chemical tanker close to Lome Port, Togo, with its Special Mission Vessel, DB Lagos.

New Telegraph gathered that the DB Lagos, operated by the Nigerian Navy under the Deep Blue Project, was immediately alerted and is currently closing in on the distressed vessel.

The agency’s Deputy Director/Head, Public Relations, Osagie Edward explained in a statement on Friday that at 20:53hrs on Thursday, August 28, 2025, the C4i Centre of NIMASA received an alert from the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade (MDAT) Gulf of Guinea Watchkeepers regarding an attempted boarding of the Malta-flagged chemical tanker, Endo Ponente at position 05°10’N, 001°23’E, close to Lome Port, Togo.

He noted that the intelligence gathered from the C4i Centre later placed the vessel at 04°19’16” N, 01°35’59” E, within Ghana’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

Osagie said that the crew had retreated to the Citadel in line with international best practice for ship security, adding that the agency was actively coordinating with the Nigerian Navy and other regional maritime security agencies to ensure the safety of the crew and to support ongoing investigations into the incident.

The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, also reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to regional maritime security cooperation, noting that the agency remains committed to strengthening security collaboration across the Gulf of Guinea to safeguard seafarers, deter criminal activity, and ensure safer maritime trade, leveraging the Deep Blue Project.

The Endo Ponente is a moderate-risk Maltese-flagged chemical tanker that generally operates across West, Central, and Southern African regions. Its last port call was at Kalamu, Democratic Republic of Congo.