APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
A vessel laden with 800,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil has been intercepted by a private security contractor engaged by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The statement by Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPCL, Mr Garba Muhammad, said this in a statement on Monday Abuja, that the vessel and its crew members were apprehended on July 7, 2023 by the operatives of Messrs. Tantita Security Services at an offshore location heading to Cameroon.
According to Mohammad, the Vessel, MT TURA II, IMO number: 6620462, is owned by a Nigerian company, HOLAB MARITIME SERVICES LIMITED with Registration Number RC813311 and that preliminary investigations revealed that the crude oil cargo on-board was illegally sourced from a well jacket offshore in Ondo State in south-western Nigeria.
“There was no valid documentation for the Vessel or the Crude Oil Cargo on-board at the time of the arrest.
“Further investigation into the activities of the vessel at the NNPC Ltd. Command and Control Centre also revealed that the Vessel had been operating in stealth mode for the last 12 years.
“The last reported location of the Vessel was Tin Can Port in July 2011,’’ he said.
He explained that the details of the arrest and the outcomes of the investigations had been escalated to the appropriate government authorities and that the Vessel has to be destroyed to serve as a strong warning and deterrent to all those participating in such illegal activities.
“The illegal trade of stolen crude oil not only inflicts significant economic losses on Nigeria and legitimate stakeholders in the oil industry, but also perpetuates a cycle of corruption, environmental devastation, and social instability.
“NNPC Ltd. assures Nigerians that we will sustain the momentum in the war against crude oil theft until it is brought to a halt,’’ Mohammad added.
GIK/APA
Nigeria intercepts vessel with 800,000 litres of stolen crude oil
