Six yet-to-be-identified persons were at the weekend confirmed dead after an accident in a vessel around Atlas Cove, Lagos.

The deceased were said to have been working on the tanker of the vessel identified as MT Halima when the accident occurred.It was not clear if the vessel was carrying petroleum products in its tank when the accident occurred.

A statement from the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT confirmed that a distress call was received from the ship through the Western Region Control Centre (WRCC) of the Falcon Eye, a Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness facility.

It said after analysing the ship’s coordinates and discovering it was at position 3.04 southwest of the Lagos Fairway Buoy, a rescue party was dispatched from NNS BEECROFT’s taskforce at Atlas Cove which took off from Takwa jetty.

It said: “Accordingly, NNS BEECROFT taskforce stationed at Atlas Cove immediately cast off from Tarkwa Jetty to the vessel anchored at Latitude 06°20’58″N, Longitude 003°21’56″E, a position 3.04 nautical miles south west of Lagos fairway buoy.

“The victims were evacuated to Mekwe Jetty, Victoria Island, where the owner of the vessel moved them to the Military Hospital in Ikoyi for medical treatment.”

Commander NNS BEECROFT, Rear Admiral Abdul-Rasheed Malami Haruna advised mariners to emplace the highest level of safety while operating at sea in line with international best practices.

He also assured the public of the unwavering commitment of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, in ensuring safety and security of lives within the nation’s maritime space. (The Nation)

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