3 Bodies Washed Ashore

The Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA) reported Thursday, July 22, that, amid its search and rescue efforts for the rest of the passengers of the sunken vessel MV Niko Ivanka, three corpses have washed ashore along the Liberian coastline. 

Of the the three, which are believed to be some of the missing persons from the vessel, two were found on the shores of Grand Cape Mount County and the third was found on the shores of Marshall, in Margibi County.

According to LiMA, the relevant government authorities have moved in to recover the bodies. For the respect of the deceased and privacy for the affected families, the names of the deceased are being withheld until the relevant government agencies contact them shortly. 

Also, divers are being dispatched to the location where the vessel sunk to assess its hull and further search for any and all missing persons whilst modalities are being worked out to salvage any materials from the vessel.

Furthermore, we hereby announce that an Incident Management Center (IMC) has been set up at the Monrovia Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination, located on the Coast Guard Base. 

The IMC consists of the members of the National Maritime SAR/Disaster Committee which was activated by Commissioner Nagbe, the National Search and Rescue Coordinator on July 20, 2021.

Survivors of the Niko Ivanka have described their experience from the sunken vessel as a horrifying experience, filled with prayers for forgiveness, cries, and sorrow.

Many of the survivors had reported that about two hours after leaving the port on July 21, the ship began to take in water but, despite the sign, the captain was still sailing for the high sea.

They narrated that the ship did not take long to sink and when it sank, people started to fight for their lives without any life Jackets, which were scarce. According to them, the captain and his crew were the first to jump off the ship when it was sinking.

“When we picked up from the Freeport of Monrovia, it did not take long for water to start entering the vessel, but that did not deter the captain,” survivor Christopher Young said. “It was the front of the vessel that began, before the entire body, while at high sea. At that moment everyone was finding a way how he or she could be saved.

“It was so frightening that before we looked,  everyone on board was already in the water,” Young said. 

Young and 27 other passengers of the Niko Ivanka ship left the Freeport of Monrovia at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 21, but a few hours into the journey, the ship sank about six nautical miles off the Coast of Marshall City.

They left the Freeport of Monrovia at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, and about 11 p.m. a nearby vessel, Sam Simon, owned by the Sea Shepherd, arrived to rescue the passengers after receiving a distress call from the captain of the Ivanka. 

At the location where the ship sank, there was flotsam and debris in the water, and that visibility was obscured by rain and darkness, according to Sea Shepherd.

Niko Ivanka left the port of Monrovia with 26-28 persons on board.   The full search and rescue operation lasted for 89 hours from the time of arrival, in which 12 survivors were recovered.

So far, only 12 people have been rescued since the operation began, while three deaths have been reported of 16 other passengers including two children. 

Built in four months

Built locally and commissioned by Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor in 2018, the NIKO IVANKA had been an essential transporter of goods and people to the southeast. 

 It regularly sailed between the Freeport of Monrovia and the Port of Harper -- carrying essential goods that would have been delayed in reaching the southeast due to bad road conditions.

Owned by HYLAEA INC, the ship only took four months to be assembled at its hub in Marshall, Margibi County, and in no time got approval by the government to sail, although Liberia is not a shipbuilding country.

Considering the uncertainty surrounding its durability, NIKO IVANKA was allowed to sail on the high sea despite being unworthy.

The Liberia Maritime Authority approved the operation of the ship and limited it to cargo. However, it is unclear how the LiMA let its guard down despite placing a detention notice on April 28, 2021, for operating with expired certificates, deeming it “not fit to go to sea”. LiMA however served the notice on the National Port Authority, the Liberian National Coast Guard, and the Management of the vessel.