Ocean Marine Solutions Limited (OMSL) recently saved Nigeria from what would have been a monumental international embarrassment, when pirates attacked a general cargo vessel 85NM South of Lagos, Gulf of Guinea.
According to a news report on the website of Fleetmon, builders of the world’s first public vessel data collection which helps organisations deliver better logistic reports, a general cargo ship, the Hungarian Glory, managed by Tianjin Xinhai Intl. Ship Mgmt was attacked by pirates on March 5 on the coastal side of Lagos.
The report stated, “The ship was drifting after the attack, not responding to contact requests. According to track, the ship started moving at around 1300 UTC Mar 6, after about an hour went adrift again. As of 1500 UTC Mar 6, the ship was still adrift or moving at slow speed, Nigerian Navy patrol boat NNS SPARROW approaching – in nearly 24 hours after the alert, in the vicinity of Lagos with 23 crew reportedly all Chinese.”
The NNS Sparrow is one of the patrol boats of the OMSL audited and approved by the Nigerian Navy and fitted with comprehensive communication equipment, enabling full situational awareness for clients’ enhanced protection. It executed the rescue mission and safely brought the vessel back to Lagos.
The source further said, “The vessel is not our client’s vessel but the Navy beckoned on us to assist considering the amount of bureaucracy it would take for them to execute. We work with the Navy and they are in charge of our vessels so it was easy for them to divert our vessel from SAA (Secure Anchorage Area) for the rescue. They only informed us of their decision because it is of national interest.”
This feat has, understandably, elicited commendation from local and international maritime operators.
According to a Chinese operator, “We are glad that when it was necessary, Nigeria had a company it could call on for such emergency operation. We applaud the OMSL for their prompt, proactive and professional intervention.”
