Notice Unclassified open-source conflict documentation. Casualty records and territorial control reflect documented primary sources without synthetic averaging. Methodology and verification
Dustline

Maritime Domain Security

Nigerian Navy coastal interdictions, crude oil pipeline tapping and illegal artisanal refining deactivations, counter-piracy boardings across the Gulf of Guinea and the Exclusive Economic Zone, and fisheries protection. Each event carries its own source.

Stolen crude recovered, logged events
13,138
barrels
Suspects apprehended
51
Events by category
oil theft bunkering4
naval interdiction2
piracy1
illegal fishing1
Naval interdiction and incident log · 8 events

Operation Delta Sanity intercepts wooden barge with 250,000 litres of crude in Cawthorne Channel

2026-08-22 · oil theft bunkering · Rivers · NNS Pathfinder / Operation Delta Sanity · grade A1

Troops of NNS Pathfinder deployed gunboats following Falcon Eye radar cues, intercepting a Cotonou wooden boat illegally siphoning crude from a Trans-Niger Pipeline valve. Four suspects were apprehended and handed to the NSCDC.

1,572 bbls crude seized · 4 suspects detained · Vessels: 1 large Cotonou barge, 2 200HP speedboats · Nigerian Navy Media Operations

NNS Beecroft impounds tanker MT SWEET MARY for unauthorized ship-to-ship crude transfer

2026-07-15 · naval interdiction · Lagos · NNS Beecroft (Western Naval Command) · grade A1

Western Naval Command patrol vessels intercepted motor tanker MT SWEET MARY 18 nautical miles off Lagos fairway buoy while conducting an illicit STS transfer without naval clearance. 11 crew members detained.

4,200 bbls crude seized · 11 suspects detained · Vessels: MT SWEET MARY (IMO 912384), Tugboat St. Jude · Premium Times Nigeria

Forward Operating Base Formoso dismantles 8 illegal refining camps in Nembe Creek

2026-06-28 · oil theft bunkering · Bayelsa · FOB Formoso / Central Naval Command · grade B2

Naval amphibious assault teams uncovered and deactivated 8 active artisanal cooking hubs equipped with 14 storage tanks, 9 dugout pits, and siphoned crude along the Nembe Creek trunk line.

1,250 bbls crude seized · 2 suspects detained · Vessels: 5 wooden boats, 8 pumping machines · HumAngle Media

Naval Special Boat Service (SBS) repels armed boarding on bulk carrier off Brass Terminal

2026-05-19 · piracy · Bayelsa · Special Boat Service (SBS) / NNS Prosperity · grade A1

Armed sea robbers in two speedboats attempted to scale the freeboard of a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier 42 nm southwest of Brass Offshore Terminal. NNS Prosperity vectored an SBS team, repelling the boarding.

Vessels: Bulk Carrier MV PACIFIC HORIZON, 2 pirate skiffs · ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB)

Joint Patrol neutralizes illegal tap point on Trans-Niger Pipeline in Bodo Community

2026-04-11 · oil theft bunkering · Rivers · NNS Pathfinder Joint Task Force · grade A1

Nigerian Navy personnel in collaboration with Tantita Security Services operatives uncovered an illegal manifold welded directly onto the 24-inch Trans-Niger Pipeline. The tap point had siphoned oil into a loading creek for 6 months.

3,100 bbls crude seized · 3 suspects detained · Vessels: 3 Cotonou boats, heavy-duty industrial hoses · Daily Trust

NNS Centenary detains foreign industrial trawler for unlicensed fishing in territorial waters

2026-03-24 · illegal fishing · Bayelsa · NNS Centenary (Central Naval Command) · grade B2

Offshore Patrol Vessel NNS Centenary boarded and arrested foreign-flagged fishing vessel FV HAI LU 12 for operating 9 nautical miles off Pennington River without a valid coastal fishing license from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

18 suspects detained · Vessels: Trawler FV HAI LU 12 (18 crew) · NIMASA Enforcement Unit

NNS Delta destroys 12 artisanal cooking ovens in Bennett Island creek network

2026-02-18 · naval interdiction · Delta · NNS Delta (Warri) · grade A1

Troops executing Operation Delta Sanity Phase III conducted swamp clearing operations around Bennett Island, deactivating 12 refining ovens, 16 storage vats, and seizing 180,000 litres of illegally cooked Automotive Gas Oil.

1,130 bbls crude seized · 5 suspects detained · Vessels: 4 wooden speedboats · Vanguard Nigeria

Naval patrol intercepts tugboat and barge carrying 300,000 litres of stolen crude off Bonny Fairway

2026-01-30 · oil theft bunkering · Rivers · FOB Bonny / Eastern Naval Command · grade A1

Forward Operating Base Bonny intercepted an unflagged tugboat towing a steel barge laden with illegally obtained crude oil heading toward international waters without export documentation.

1,886 bbls crude seized · 8 suspects detained · Vessels: Tugboat MV GLORY, 1,000-ton steel barge · Channels Television