Nigerian Navy denies being involved in oil theft

The Nigeria Navy Headquarters has refuted claims made in a publication that sailors on board the motor tanker (MT) Praisel were complicit in oil theft.

Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, director of information for the Navy, claimed on Friday that the people accompanying the ship were just doing so to thoroughly examine its contents.

According to Ayo-Vaughan, Tantita Security Service Limited (TSSL) is the owner of MT PRAISEL.

According to him, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) had given TSSL the go-ahead to load 1,114,721 litres of High Pour Fuel Oil (HPFO) from Greenmac Energy Storage/Tarus Jetty Koko between July 26 and August 8.

According to him, the NMDPRA had verified this.

He said that navy men were deployed on-board to see the product being discharged by MT PRAISEL at a facility in Bonny in strict accordance with Standard Operating Procedure and the NMDPRA approval.

“However, on August 2, TSSL, purporting to act on intelligence, claimed that the vessel was loaded with stolen crude oil. As a result, they approached a member of Operation Delta Safe to board the vessel in order to confirm the supposed stolen commodity.

In order to conduct additional research on the product on board, the NN accordingly instructed the vessel to anchor at Forward Operating Base ESCRAVOS.

In accordance with established protocols for laboratory testing and claim verification, samples of the product aboard MT PRAISEL were taken on Thursday, August 3, 2023 by five entities, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL), NMDPRA, and TSSL.

The NN, he said, “has always been at the forefront of supporting every single effort to stop economic saboteurs of our country,” as it is the leading agency in the battle against maritime crimes.

Although it would be ideal for everyone to pitch in to stop crude oil theft, the Naval Spokesman underlined that all parties involved must take the required precautions.

He claimed that doing so would prevent needless obstructions to legitimate economic activities and firms that have far-reaching effects on the country’s economy in the maritime environment.

He urged the public to hold off on making any decisions until the product’s laboratory test results and more research into the accusation were available.

He asserts that Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla, the capable commander of the Nigerian navy, is in a position to assure interagency cooperation, transparency, and synergy in the battle against crime and unlawful activity in Nigeria’s marine environment.