Uche Cecil Izuora
The Nigerian Navy on Monday December 22, 2025 successfully executed a swift and coordinated rescue operation to save the lives of 20 crew members onboard Motor Vessel (MV) CHIMBA EXPRESS following a fire incident alongCalabar waterways.
The successful rescue operation commenced at about 1pmhours when Nigerian Navy Ship OSE, while on routine sea patrol received a distress call from the endangered vessel.
On arrival at the scene, it was observed that some crew members had jumped overboard while others were stranded on the exposed deck.
Through a coordinated effort of NN personnel from NNS OSE,Naval Security Station 030 and Forward Operating Base IBAKA, 20 crew members were rescued while a search operation was initiated for one person who is the Chief Engineer. It has been confirmed that there were only 21 persons onboard MV CHIMBA EXPRESS.
While concerted efforts are ongoing to locate the missing Chief Engineer, the successful rescue of 20 persons underscores the visionary leadership and strategic direction of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, (Admiralty Medal) whose vision is to develop a modern, agile and professional naval force dedicated to securing Nigeria’s maritime domain.