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Oil vessel intercepted on Ondo coastline was heading to Cameroon, says NNPC

July 11, 2023
2 Min Read

 

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says
the 800,000-litre vessel intercepted on the coastline of Ondo state was
Cameroon-bound.

 

Garba Deen Muhammad, NNPC Ltd spokesperson, announced the
development in a statement on Monday.

 

Nigerianeye had reported that the joint military task force
had intercepted a vessel laden with 150,000 tonnes of crude oil, which had been
evading arrest.

 

Giving details of the arrest, Muhammad said the vessel has
been in stealth mode for 12 years, making detection difficult.

 

 “Following the
receipt of credible intelligence, Tantita Security Services, a private security
contractor engaged by NNPC Ltd, intercepted a suspicious vessel with a cargo of
crude oil on board on July 7, 2023,” Muhammad said.

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“The vessel, MT TURA II (IMO number: 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.”

 

 He said preliminary
investigations revealed that the crude oil cargo onboard was illegally sourced
from a well jacket offshore in Ondo.

 

 “There was no valid
documentation for the vessel or the crude oil cargo onboard at the time of the
arrest,” the NNPC Ltd spokesperson said.

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“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 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 and
desist.

 

“Destroying vessels involved in transporting stolen crude
oil is of paramount importance as a strong deterrent.

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 “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 assured that NNPC Ltd would sustain the momentum in
the war against crude oil theft until it is brought to a halt.