Rivers Boat Tragedy: Fubara vows probe as 10 reportedly die

Ten people were reportedly killed after a boat capsized during a confrontation over the removal of an oil vessel in Kula Kingdom, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The Police Command in Rivers State confirmed the incident but said investigations were ongoing to establish the exact number of casualties and the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, The Guardian reported on Friday.

The incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday evening amid tensions over the planned removal of the Anambra Basin FSO, a floating storage and offloading vessel owned by Max Shipping Services Limited.

Community members had opposed the vessel’s removal, citing an alleged oil spill and demanding environmental remediation and compensation.

Sukubo Sara-Igbe, a Kula indigene and president of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, told Guardian that six gunboats arrived during the operation and that a boat conveying community members capsized during the confrontation.

Fubara promises justice

Mr Fubara promised that anyone found responsible for the “death of 10 persons” would face the law, according to a statement issued by the Rivers State Government House and emailed to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday night.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Sunny Ewule, the governor gave the assurance when Kula residents staged a peaceful march to Government House in Port Harcourt to seek government intervention.

“We want to sympathise with the Kula Community and the bereaved families.

“Anybody who is involved in this incident or found culpable for whatever happened will definitely pay for it according to the law. We are not going to sit by and allow Rivers indigenes to go through this type of unnecessary death,” he said.

The governor urged residents to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their own hands.

Earlier, community delegation leader Anabs Sara-Igbe said they approached the government because they wanted justice without resorting to violence.

“It is proper we inform him (Fubara) because we don’t want to take the law into our hands. We have the capacity to react, but we don’t want to react,” he said.

Vessel owner denies responsibility

Max Shipping Services Limited, the vessel’s owner, expressed sadness over the reported deaths but denied responsibility for the oilfield operations, according to a Guardian newspaper report.

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The company said the vessel had been hired to Menal Technical Services Limited under a marine equipment hire agreement and that the contractor had specific contractual responsibilities concerning operations, community settlements, security and demobilisation.

It said it initiated the retrieval of the vessel after prolonged outstanding hire payments and unsuccessful efforts to secure settlement. The company also maintained that the crude oil previously stored in the vessel had been discharged before the retrieval exercise.

The circumstances surrounding the confrontation and the boat’s capsizing remain under investigation.

Rivers’ recurring boat tragedies

The latest incident adds to a history of fatal boat accidents in Rivers State.

In January 2025, police confirmed that three people, including a toddler, died after a passenger boat travelling from Port Harcourt to Bonny capsized during a storm. Nineteen passengers were rescued.

In January 2024, 11 people, including five infants, died after two boats capsized in Rivers State, PREMIUM TIMES reported.

The latest tragedy differs from those incidents because it reportedly occurred amid a confrontation linked to an oil vessel’s removal and community grievances over alleged environmental pollution.

Authorities are expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, confirm the casualty figure and determine whether anyone should be held responsible.