Columbia-River

The 16 stowaways, 15 of them Nigerians and one a Liberian, have been arrested by the Search and Rescue personnel of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). The stowaways were apprehended, in conjunction with officers and men of the Nigerian Navy, aboard the "Columbia River". The arrest which was effected on Novr 4, at the Lagos fairway buoy was sequel to a distress signal sent to the Regional Search and Rescue Coordination Centre based in NIMASA which in turn alerted the Nigerian Navy. The Navy immediately sent the "Karaduwa" to the location of the "Columbia River" where 16 stowaways were apprehended and one of them sustained an injury on the shoulder while attempting to escape arrest. The injured stowaway was immediately taken away by the NIMASA Search and Rescue team on its vessel NIMASA Benue to the Agency’s Search and Rescue Base Clinic for treatment while the others were taken away by the Navy for profiling and subsequent hand over to the Security Agencies for further investigation. The crew of the vessel had originally thought that they were under attack by armed pirates but preliminary investigation showed that the persons on board the vessel were only intruders who hid in the vessel to leave the shores of Nigeria in search of greener pastures in the US. The stowaways who included one Liberian national were in custody and will be handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for further action.

There were reports that the "Columbia River", being moored on Lagos outer anchorage, was boarded by several armed pirates on Nov 4, 2016. The crew sent a distress signal and sheltered in the citadel, but it turned out that the reports were premature as the persons found on board were stowaways. A total of 16 stowaways were removed by the Nigerian Navy at around 10 a.m., and the vessel proceeded.

sold to Pacific Basin 22,5 million USD