The Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited says, a non-public safety contractor employed by the NNPCL, Messrs. Tantita Security Services, has intercepted a suspicious vessel with a cargo of Crude oil on board, on July 7, 2023.
The Vessel, MT TURA II (IMO quantity: 6620462), owned by a Nigerian Registered Company, HOLAB MARITIME SERVICES LIMITED with Registration Number RC813311, was heading to Cameroun with the Cargo on board when it was apprehended at an offshore location (Latitude: 5.8197194477543235°, Longitude: 4.789002723991871°), with the Captain and Crew members on board.
Group Corporate Communication Officer, Garba Deen Muhammad in an announcement issued on Monday, mentioned:
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the crude oil cargo onboard was illegally sourced from a well jacket offshore Ondo State, Nigeria”. “There was no valid documentation for the Vessel or the Crude Oil Cargo onboard at the time of the arrest”, he revealed.
According to Garba Deen Muhammad, additional investigation into the actions of the vessel on the NNPC Ltd. Command and Control Centre additionally revealed that;
“the Vessel has been operating in stealth mode for the last twelve (12) years”. “The last reported location of the Vessel was Tin Can Port in July 2011”, he mentioned.
He additional revealed that “details of this arrest and the outcomes of the investigations were escalated to the appropriate Government authorities, upon which it was concluded to destroy the Vessel to serve as a strong warning and deterrent to all those participating in such illegal activities to cease and desist,” he warned.
The Chief Communication Officer of NNPC Limited mentioned that “destroying vessels concerned in transporting stolen crude oil is of paramount significance as a powerful deterrent.
“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” , he asserted.
NNPC Ltd. assured Nigerians that it’s going to maintain the momentum within the warfare in opposition to crude oil theft till it is dropped at a halt.
64 unlawful crude oil connections have been found, and 77 unlawful refineries, destroyed within the Niger Delta area of Nigeria previously week.
