Maritime

73 Africans Die In Libya Shipwreck

Published

3 years ago

February 20, 2023

The United Nations Migra-tion Agency has said a total of 73 African Europe-bound migrants and refugees are missing and presumed dead in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Libyan authorities retrieved at least 11 bodies from the wreck, saying the mishap happened at the weekend,
“Seven people survived and made it to Libyan shores in extremely dire conditions, and were taken to hospital”, UN agency said.
The shipwreck was the latest sea tragedy in the central Mediterranean, a key route for migrants.
IOM’s Missing Migrants project said over 25,821 migrants and refugees have gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014.
Libya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for refugees and asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East trying to make it to Europe.
A controversial migration agreement between Italy and Libya was automatically renewed earlier this month for a period of three years, amid warnings by Humanitarian organisations that this might make Rome and the European Union complicit in crimes against humanity.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned that assisting Libya’s coast guard, knowing that it will facilitate the return of thousands of people to serious human rights violations, makes Italy and the European Union complicit in such crimes.
IOM said since January 29, at least 531 migrants and refugees have been intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard and returned to the war-torn north African country, .
Oil-rich Libya plunged into chaos following a NATO backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime leader, Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
A June 2022 report by the United Nations Independent facts finding Mission on Libya found that migrants and refugees faced murder, enforced disappearance, torture, enslavement, sexual violence, rape, and other inhumane acts in connection with their arbitrary detention.
In September 2022, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) found that crimes against migrants and refugees in Libya “may constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes”.

Maritime

Customs Hands Over Seized Cannabis Worths N4.7bn To NDLEA

Published

4 hours ago

February 9, 2026

The Tide

The Customs Command in Tincan Island, Lagos, has handed over 2,366 packs of cannabis indica, valued at over N4.7 billion, to the NDLEA.

The seizure comprised of a 40-feet container holding 55 jumbo bags of cannabis indica intercepted during routine enforcement operations at the port.

Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, disclosed this in a Statement issued by the Command’s Spokesperson Oscar Ivara.and copied Newsmen

Speaking during the handover, Onyeka said officers acted in line with global standards on border protection and public safety.

“Today, we inform you of developments in securing our borders, aligning with the 2026 International Customs Day theme of vigilance and commitment,” he said.

Onyeka said the container was examined on Jan. 28, 2026 alongside NDLEA and DSS operatives, following intelligence-led profiling.

“A 40-feet container was found to contain 2,366 packs in 55 jumbo bags of cannabis indica,” he said.

He added that officers also discovered a Colt MK IV .45 calibre pistol with an empty magazine inside the container.

According to him, three used vehicles were deployed to conceal the prohibited items, including a Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Sienna and Toyota Matrix.

“Interestingly, we apprehended one suspect in connection with the seizure,” Onyeka said.

He warned that Customs would not tolerate drug smuggling or transnational crime threatening national security and public health.

Receiving the consignment, NDLEA Commander, Solomon Omotoso, commended Customs for strong inter-agency collaboration.

Omotoso assured that the NDLEA would intensify investigations and prosecution in line with existing laws.

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Maritime

Over 6,223 Seafarers Abandoned In 2025 – Says ITF

Published

5 hours ago

February 9, 2026

The Tide

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), says over 6,223 seafarers were abandoned in 2025

ITF also said the abandoned Seafarers were recorded across 410 ships,

The Data shows that the numbers represent 31% increase in such ship abandonments compared to 2024, and a 32% increase in seafarers abandonment.

ITF data, which will be submitted to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) ahead of its discussion at a legal committee meeting this year, also shows that seafarers were owed a total of $25.8m in 2025 as a consequence of the abandonments.

The report said ITF has recovered and returned $16.5m to seafarers.

David Heindel, Chair, ITF Seafarers’ Section“ said it’s nothing short of a disgrace that, yet again, we are seeing record numbers of seafarers abandoned by unscrupulous shipowners,”

“Every day, all around the world, seafarers face horrific violations of their human and labour rights, all so that bottom-feeding companies can make a quick buck at their expense.

” It’s very clear that this is a systemic issue in the industry – and that means we need the entire industry to come together with seafarers and their unions to say, ‘enough is enough’, and take action together to end this crisis.”

“We are normalising, treating seafarers like disposable pawns”

The International Maritime Organization IMO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) run a joint seafarers abandonment database.

Indian seafarers were the worst affected national group in 2025, as in 2024, with 1,125 seafarers abandoned. At the end of 2025, the Indian government announced that blacklisting measures would be taken to protect seafarers from ships with a record of repeat abandonments and other bad practices.

Filipino Seafarers were the second worst affected, with 539 abandoned, followed by Syrians with 309 abandoned.

The worst region for abandonment was the Middle East, followed by Europe.

The two countries where most ship abandonments took place,the countries with the highest number of vessels on which abandonments occurred both of which have significantly higher abandonments than any other country, were Türkiye (61) and the United Arab Emirates (54).

Flag of convenience (FOCs) vessels feature prominently in abandonment: 337 vessels abandoned in 2025 – 82% of the total – were flying FOC flags.

Commenting on the statistics, founder of Seafarer Social Consultants, Carl King told Splash today: “Every abandoned seafarer is a step backwards for the shipping industry. With one hand we talk about a retention crisis; with the other, we normalise treating seafarers like disposable pawns.”

King called the data a “disgrace”, warning shipowners and flag states need to fix the issue quickly, or accept an even steeper decline in the skilled people needed to crew vessels.

International operations manager at the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN),Chirag Bahri, described how abandonment has lasting impacts on the mental wellbeing of seafarers and their families ashore, alongside severe financial distress.

“Many seafarers are left struggling with unpaid wages, ongoing loans, and money lost to fraudulent agents in the hope of securing work.

The continued rise in abandonment cases highlights systemic failures that necessitate immediate attention and coordinated action across the industry,” Bahri said.

ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton urged the International Maritime Organization to be given more power to play a coordinating role in eradicating abandonment.

The ITF has three ideas to tackle seafarer abandonment which includes, flag states must be compelled to log a ship’s beneficial owner, including contact details, as a pre-condition for registration.

Secondly, National blacklisting of ships should happen to protect seafarers from ships with repeated involvement in abandonment cases.

Finally, the ITF is calling on governments to investigate the use of flags of convenience.

Steven Jones, the founder of the Seafarers Happiness Index, hit out at how regulators were not dismantling the mechanisms which allow bad actors,

“the fundamentally evil owners” who have such blatant disregard for seafarers.

“Until we drive real change, until the regulation aligns with the response, and until we get more agile in spotting the warning signs and in dealing with them, then next year the numbers will be bigger. And the year after that,” Jones said.

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Maritime

Weak Shipping Line Regulation Undermines Customs Reforms —-Says SEREC

Published

2 weeks ago

January 28, 2026

The Tide

The Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC) says poor regulation of shipping lines could undermine the credibility of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) reforms.

Head of Research SEREC, Dr Eugene Nweke made this Known to Newsmen in Abuja

Nweke said that customs efficiency was linked to the performance of the Nigeria’s maritime and trade ecosystem.

Hr described the NCS as central to the success of the National Single Window (NSW) risk-based clearance and trade facilitation reforms.

“However, Customs efficiency gains are systematically eroded when upstream shipping practices introduce artificial delays, speculative charges, remote cargo release approvals and opaque cost structures”.

“In effect, weak regulation of shipping line conduct externalises inefficiencies into the Customs clearance process, inflates transaction costs, distorts compliance behavior and undermines the credibility of customs-led trade reforms,”

Nweke said that SEREC had submitted a white paper to the government advocating that shipping line governance, port economic regulation, and customs trade administration should be treated as inseparable policy domains.

SEREC said Nigeria’s Port challenges were not only infrastructure-driven but governance-related, warning that weak regulation, missing oversight reports and unchecked discretion in systems like the NSW could undermine reform efforts.

SEREC recommended reforms for Nigeria’s shipping sector, including public release of committee findings, statutory refund timelines with penalties, banning speculative demurrage billing, mandatory local cargo release and alignment of shipping practices with the NSW among others.

Nweke said that the aim of the white paper was to draw attention to sharp practices and regulatory weaknesses that had evolved beyond operational inconveniences into macroeconomic and governance risks.

“For NCS trade reforms to deliver their full impact in 2026 and beyond, shipping practices must align with the same principles guiding Customs modernisation: transparency, predictability, automation, accountability and local control.

Nweke said that by 2026, stakeholders in Nigeria’s maritime industry hope to transition from opaque and arbitrary port operations to a transparent, rules-based system managed through digital technology.

He stressed that the shift should align with ongoing reforms and international best practices, facilitated by the government through providing enabling environment and enforcing regulations

“These include predictable costs, enforceable service standards, transparent billing, time-bound cargo release, and institutional accountability particularly as Nigeria advances the National Single Window (NSW), port economic regulation, and revenue optimisation objectives.

“The expectation is not the creation of new laws, but disciplined enforcement of existing instruments, public disclosure of regulatory outcomes, and insulation of regulators from political and commercial capture,” Nweke said.

By: CHINEDU WOSU