South Africa sends condolences to Nigeria after fatal maritime incident

The Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, and the Transport Deputy Minister, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, have expressed their condolences to the bereaved family after one person died at sea and five crew members went missing, following the sinking of the MW Leo vessel near Mossel Bay.

The vessel had a total of 18 crew members on board, all confirmed to be Nigerian nationals.

Twelve crew members have since been rescued alive. One body has been recovered, with five crew members still missing.

“Creecy and Hlengwa have expressed their pain and condolences to High Commissioner Tope Ajayi, who is grappling with this maritime incident, and emphasized the urgent need to find the missing crew members. They have also expressed messages of support to the families whose loved ones are still missing at sea,” the Department of Transport said on Monday.

The MW Leo, registered under the Comoros flag, transmitted a distress signal reporting uncontrolled water ingress on the evening of 28 February 2026.

At the time, the vessel was approximately 80 nautical miles south of Mossel Bay, on a single voyage from Durban to Nigeria.

The vessel is owned by Nigerian company Magnet Energy Limited, based in Lagos.

The crew reportedly abandoned ship onto the vessel’s life rafts, and the vessel subsequently sank in the early hours of 1 March 2026.

The South African Maritime Authority (SAMSA) has initiated a preliminary investigation.

The incident is being coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Cape Town.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria’s High Commissioner, HE Tope Ajayi, is kept abreast of the developments on an ongoing basis. –SAnews.gov.za