Frontline maritime lawyer and former President of Nigeria Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba has indicated interest to be the lead counsel for Twinstomp Energy Limited, owners of the ill-fated MT Tank that sank in Warri, Delta State after a collision with another ship.
Counsel to shipping firm; Barrister Olumide Oyewole, a Lagos lawyer told the media that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria who has vast experience in admiralty matters has already been approached.
Frontline maritime lawyer and former President of Nigeria Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba has indicated interest to be the lead counsel for Twinstomp Energy Limited, owners of the ill-fated MT Tank that sank in Warri, Delta State after a collision with another ship.
Counsel to shipping firm; Barrister Olumide Oyewole, a Lagos lawyer told the media that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria who has vast experience in admiralty matters has already been approached.
”Agbakoba will be leading us in the matter. I wrote to him and we met. He is experienced in this area and has given his consent to join us. As a matter of fact, he will be leading us in the matter” Oyewole said.
Aside being grounded in admiralty matters, Agbakoba is perceived to be a potent voice in the Nigerian human rights community and will be expected by owners of the sunk vessels and families of crew members to seek justice and compensation for victims of the mishap.
Proper definition and likely judicial interpretation of Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone as well as what should be the role of the country’s maritime administration in the matter may likely constitute part of Agbakoba’s cause in the matter.
Eight crew members of MT Tank were yet to be found more than one week after she sank into a depth of about 1,500 meters.
MT Tank sank after an accident involving MT Elixir, a Greek Tanker Vessel on October 19, 2015 where only three of the 12- man crew members were rescued and a dead body recovered.
However, even though three crew members were rescued after the incident ,eight other crew members of the sunk ship comprising seven Nigerians and a Ghanaian were yet to be recovered from the waters as at the time of this report.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on Monday admitted that the country lacks divers that can go the depth of 1,500 meters at sea.
NIMASA’s Director General Haruna Baba Jauro, disclosed that the agency is still making efforts to rescue more lives from the incident and searching for competent divers that can join in the search and rescue operations.
The DG said the apex regulatory agency had deployed one of its boats (NIMASA Benebi) in the rescue operations and that operators on the Bonga Field who have a memorandum of understanding with the agency also assisted with the initial rescue of three survivors and recovery of a corpse from the incident.
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