The Greek ship managers of Eleen Armonia, a bulk carrier that has been detained in Nigeria since June, 2025 has dragged Nigeria into a diplomatic row with Bulgaria over the fate of the ship and her crew.
The manager (Eleen Marine JSC) is blaming the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), other state actors and alleging legal intricacies in Nigeria for the plight of the ship and the fate of the crew. They also alleged an orchestrated attack on the Liberia-flagged vessel.
The managers also claimed that the embattled ship only came to Nigeria on a legitimate business of loading a consignment of bulk urea, only for the ship and her crew to be detained for almost four months.
Shipping Position Daily findings revealed that, as of last weekend, the bulk carrier Eleen Armonia is anchored at the Onne Anchorgae, Rivers state with Marine Police watching over her. The crew have also allegedly being stranded on board without pay since June.
Our correspondent also learnt that the contracts of most of the crews have expired. They have sent a save-our-soul to the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), which have also put its Nigerian office on the case, to investigate the plight of the crew.
In a stout defence that was put up by the managers, they alleged that Eleen Armonia, was a victim of a legal maneuver by “radar-thieves,”, even though they alleged that the ship is currently under “flag detention” by Nigerian authorities for alleged maritime labour violations. These claims have however been denied by NIMASA.
Deputy Director, Public Relations at NIMASA, Edward Osagie told our correspondent last week that, the agency was not involved at all in the travails of Eleen Armonia. He affirmed that NIMASA neither took the ship to court nor enforce the detention order.
Officials of NIMASA who are in the know of the predicament of Eleen Armonia also exonerated the agency. They explained the bulk carrier ran foul of contractual obligations, which necessitated the legal action by a party to the dispute.
An official who pleaded to be anonymous explained to our correspondent that, it was the court that ordered that the ship be detained, and that NIMASA was not in the picture at all. “If it was NIMASA that went to court or executed the detention order, it would place a detention order on the vessel and also have its Maritime Guard Command (from the Navy) on board”, he explained.
Documents made available to our correspondent by one of the parties who also pleaded anonymity corroborated NIMASA’s position.
On the allegation of crew abandonment, while the ship’s management denied abandoning the crew, a crew representative claimed that they have been without pay since June and called on the Liberian flag, Nigerian authorities, and international organizations to intervene.
In its defence, the managers- Eleen Marine JSC stated that it is fully aware of its obligations as a ship manager under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006.
It said the crew was “never abandoned” and that they continue to have “provisions of food, fresh water, internet access, medical care, medication”, and even armed security to mitigate any risk of piracy attacks and armed robberies.
The company also claimed that “all outstanding salaries are being brought up to date”, including bonuses and overtime, “via continuous settlement agreements”. According to Eleen Marine, the seafarers have free movement, and those whose contracts have expired have been repatriated.
However, the International Transport Workers Federation representative in Nigeria, Comrade Okoro Goodlife told our correspondent that, the plight of the crew was brought to the attention of the ITF in June, a development which elicited a letter to NIMASA.
Corroborating this, NIMASA officials told our correspondent that the agency’s officials who boarded the vessel on Thursday last week were from the Maritime Labour Department and not Ship Surveyors or Port State Control officers, as was earlier misconstrued.
The officials explained that the NIMASA labour officers went to interview the crew just to ascertain their claims of having not been paid their wages for months.
Neither the NIMASA officials who boarded the ship, nor the ITF was willing to open up on their findings. However, unofficial sources confirmed abandonment and non-payment of the wages accruable to the crew.
However, the commercial dispute has snowballed into a diplomatic face-off between Nigeria and Bulgaria, whose nationals populate the ship’s crew and management.
In letter dated September 3, 2025 and written to NIMASA by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the matter, the Ministry acknowledged receipt of an earlier letter from Eleen Marine JSC, through the Bulgarian Embassy in Abuja. The letter from Eleen Marine JSC and the correspondents connected to the matter were all made available to our correspondents.
In the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s letter, which was signed by Ambassador George E. Edokpa, it was expressly stated that Liberia-flagged Eleen Armonia alleged that the ship had become an object of attack by state actors. Referencing the Bulgarian Embassy’s letter, the Foreign Affairs Ministry wrote in paragraph 2 that: “The letter (Eleen MarineJSC) states that on the day the vessel was arrested, while anchored at the outer anchorage near Bonny Island, the vessel became a target of an unprovoked armed incident”.
The Ministry went further that the ship manager’s letter “further stated that a Nigerian naval vessel, NNS Gongola, opened fire on the vessel, with the rounds landing approximately 20 metres from the vessel”.
A copy of the Bulgarian Embassy’s letter titled: “Threatened Safety of Bulgarian Citizens in the Federal Republic of Nigeria” was also sighted by our correspondent.
Giving a hint that the ship’s travails may have been orchestrated by a commercial dispute, its managers also alleged that the ship which arrived in Nigeeia on June 27, 2025, “has been arrested twice by a criminal group falsely presenting itself as a creditor, in support of supposed claims totaling nearly USD 11,000,000 (11 Million US dollars)”. The managers added that the “ship’s arrests were initiated and executed by the same criminal group”.
In view of the diplomatic implication of the letter from the Bulgarian Embassy, the Nigeria’s foreign affairs Ministry has request for an update on the matter.
However, the ITF representative in Nigeria. Comrade Okoro affirmed that the ship and its managers were only “blackmailing Nigeria”. He confirmed that NIMASA has no input in the detention of the ship. According to him, the agency’s attention was drawn to the matter after the ITF office in Nigeria received an official directive to investigate the complaints of abandonment by the crew.
He also confirmed that the NIMASA officials who boarded the ship were maritime labour officials and neither Inspectors nor Port State Control officers, even as he added that the affected crew were not even affiliated to any union. “They are only blackmailing Nigeria”, he told our correspondent.
