Messrs Tantita Security Services, a private security company hired by Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has stopped a suspicious 800,000-liter vessel carrying stolen crude oil.
The vessel, MT TURA II (IMO number: 6620462), was apprehended at an offshore location (Latitude: 5.8197194477543235°, Longitude: 4.789002723991871°), with the captain and crew members on board. It was owned by a Nigerian registered company, HOLAB Maritime Services Limited with Registration Number; RC813311.
This information is provided in a statement that was released on Monday and is signed by GarbaDeen Muhammad, the NNPCL Spokesperson.
It claimed that preliminary investigations had shown that the crude oil cargo on board had been illegally obtained from a well jacket off the coast of Nigeria’s Ondo State.
The Company claims that at the time of the arrest, neither the vessel’s nor the cargo’s legal documentation was present.
Further examination into the vessel’s operations at the NNPC Ltd Command and Control Center, according to the statement, further showed that the vessel has been operating covertly for the past 12 years.
It read, “Tin Can Port was the last reported location of the vessel in July 2011.”
However, it claimed that information about the arrest and the findings of the investigations were elevated to the relevant government authorities. It was then decided that the vessel should be destroyed to act as a strong warning and deterrence to offenders.
As a powerful deterrence, it is crucial to destroy any vessels used to transport stolen crude oil. The unlawful trade in stolen crude oil not only causes Nigeria and other legitimate oil industry participants to suffer severe financial losses, but it also feeds a vicious cycle of corruption, environmental destruction, and social unrest.
The statement reads: “NNPC Ltd promises Nigerians that we would maintain the momentum in the fight against crude oil theft until it is put an end to.
