The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) revealed on Monday that on July 7, a suspicious vessel carrying stolen crude oil was successfully seized by the company’s private security provider, Messrs Tantita Security Services.
In a tweet, NNPCL spokesman Garba Deen Muhammad stated that the accomplishment came as a result of receiving reliable intelligence.
MT TURA II, with IMO number 6620462, is the name of the ship, according to Muhammad, who also stated that it is owned by HOLAB Maritime Services Limited, a Nigerian business with registration number RC 813311.
He stated that the ship was on its way to Cameroun with the cargo when the captain and crew were detained at an offshore position (Latitude: 5.8197194477543235°, Longitude: 4.789002723991871°).
The crude oil cargo onboard was illegally obtained from a well jacket offshore of Ondo State, Nigeria, according to early findings, the NNPCL Spokesman said.
“There was no valid documentation for the Vessel or the crude oil cargo onboard 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 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.
“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.
“Destroying vessels involved in transporting stolen crude oil is of paramount importance as a strong 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,” Muhammad added.
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