Theft - Ijugu Channel Anchorage

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Incident Details

Incident Date & Time:

13 November 2025, 01:10 UTC

Location:

Ijugu Channel Anchorage, Lagos, Nigeria

Latitude/Longitude: 

6° 25' 50.00" N, 3° 15' 12.00" E

Vessel Name, Type, Flag and Status:

Unknown

Incident Type:

Theft

Crew status

No injuries reported

Incident Details

Description

A duty Able Seaman (AB) aboard an anchored Tanker spotted three unauthorized persons near the paint locker and immediately notified the bridge. The alarm was raised and crew mustered. Observing the crew's alertness, the intruders escaped with stolen ship's stores. All crew members were reported safe.

Key findings

This incident demonstrates a classic opportunistic theft pattern common in West African anchorages, where intruders target specific vessel areas like paint lockers that contain valuable supplies. The perpetrators' immediate retreat upon crew mobilization indicates they were likely unarmed opportunists rather than organized pirates, suggesting their primary objective was theft rather than confrontation. The effectiveness of the duty AB's vigilance and the crew's rapid response protocol successfully minimized losses and prevented escalation to a more serious security incident.

Recommendations

-  Maintain continuous deck watches with particular attention to storage areas during anchorage
- Ensure immediate alarm activation and crew mustering upon detecting unauthorized persons
-  Secure all external storage compartments and paint lockers with additional locks during anchorage

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