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The Nigerian Navy has arrested a ship, Motor Tanker (MT) HEROIC IDUN, owned by Hunter Tankers AS, domiciled in Scandinavia, Norway, for illegally attempting to elevate crude oil in Nigeria.
Naval Chief of Coverage and Plans (CPPLANS) Sa’idu Garba, a rear admiral, made this recognized at a press briefing on Friday in Abuja.
In response to the Navy, MT HEROIC IDUN entered the Nigerian maritime setting and headed for Akpo Discipline with none type of authorisation or clearance by the NNPC.
The CPPLANS revealed that the ship arrived Akpo Discipline midnight on 7 August with the apparent intention of lifting crude oil throughout the subject illegally however was stopped by the Nigerian Navy Maritime Area Consciousness.
“The end result of all related enquiries from the controlling company, NNPC Ltd, revealed that the vessel was not cleared to be in Akpo Oilfield.
“This revelation necessitated the deployment of the Nigerian Navy Inshore Patrol Craft, NNS GONGOLA, to research the tremendous tanker’s actions at Akpo on 8 Aug 22. NNS GONGOLA arrive Akpo Oilfield and interrogated MT HEROIC IDUN, asking important questions together with her mission and approval standing to enter Akpo Discipline amongst others,” he stated.
He additionally revealed that the ship was later arrested at a location in Equatorial Guinea after a pursuit on the ocean.
Learn full assertion:
PRESS BRIEFING AT NAVAL HEADQUARTERS ABUJA ON FRIDAY 19 AUGUST 2022
TEXT OF PRESS BRIEFING ON THE ARREST OF MT HEROIC IDUN BY EQUATORIAL GUINEA NAVY
The Nigerian maritime area performs host to a number of maritime financial actions and is famous to have excessive maritime visitors within the Area. As a way to improve safety of the maritime area, the Nigerian Navy screens the actions of sea farers and takes applicable motion to avert all types of criminality together with unlawful bunkering, piracy unlawful unreported and unregulated fishing, (IUUF) and crude oil theft amongst others. Whereas conducting routine monitoring of the maritime area, on 07 August 2022, it was noticed {that a} very massive crude oil service MT HEROIC IDUN entered the Nigerian maritime setting and headed for Akpo Discipline with none type of authorisation or clearance.
MT HEROIC IDUN (IMO: 9858058) is registered in Marshall Island with an general size of 336-meter and capability of barrels. The vessel arrived Akpo Discipline midnight on 7 Aug 22 with the apparent intention of lifting crude oil throughout the Discipline, albeit, illegally. This was, nonetheless, noticed by the Nigerian Navy Maritime Area Consciousness facility which probed the legitimacy of the Very Giant Crude Service’s presence within the Complete SA operated Akpo Discipline. The end result of all related enquiries from the controlling company, NNPC Ltd, revealed that the vessel was not cleared to be in Akpo Oilfield.
This revelation necessitated the deployment of the Nigerian Navy Inshore Patrol Craft, NNS GONGOLA, to research the tremendous tanker’s actions at Akpo on 8 Aug 22. NNS GONGOLA arrive Akpo Oilfield and interrogated MT HEROIC IDUN, asking important questions together with her mission and approval standing to enter Akpo Discipline amongst others. The Captain of the vessel duly responded to the questions and additional acknowledged that MT HEROIC IDUN was with out related clearance to function within the Discipline.
Accordingly, the vessel was ordered to show round and observe NNS GONGOLA to Bonny anchorage pending when she might be cleared for loading by NNPC Ltd. Nevertheless, the Captain after contacting the Grasp/Transport Agent refused to cooperate with NNS GONGOLA and acknowledged that she had been instructed to not take directives from the Nigerian Navy Ship. Thereafter, she engaged full pace southwards in direction of the Sao Tome and Principe maritime space in a bid to evade arrest.
Aside from refusing lawful arrest, the Captain of the vessel made a broadcast of false piracy assault name to IMB Piracy Reporting Centre to mislead mariners that NNS GONGOLA was a pirate vessel and probably concoct an alibi for her determined motion.
On the piracy alert the Nigerian Navy additionally via worldwide collaboration alerted related piracy reporting centres via CRESMAO and ECOWAS ZONE F Cotonou headed by Nigerian Navy officers for the alert to be cancelled instantly which was completed.
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Allow me to say right here that Nigeria has not recorded any piracy assault in its waters in over one 12 months. Therefore, this mischievous act by the ship is clearly aimed toward tarnishing the nice picture of the maritime area of Nigeria, which we have now labored vert arduous to attain.
The brazen act of defiance to constituted authority by the Captain of the vessel necessitated the Nigerian Navy to invoke the collaboration of neighbouring Equatorial Guinea via the Yaoundé Structure to arrest the vessel as we seen that it stopped making means within the Equatoria Guinea waters.
I need to state that the Nigerian Navy surveillance facility was used to trace and continuously replace the Equatorian Guinea Navy on the situation of the rogue vessel. The Equatorial Guinea Amphibious Ship, CAPTAIN DAVID was due to this fact vectored to intercept and arrest MT HEROIC IDUN on 12 Aug 22. The vessel is at the moment being held on the Luba Anchorage in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea the place the nation is conducting her personal investigations whereas we await diplomatic procedures for handing over to the Nigerian Navy.
To set the report straight, MV HEROIC IDUN was contained in the Akpo Oilfield designated guard zone within the nautical chart from 0006 – 1432 on 8 Aug 22. Whereas inside Akpo subject, MV HEROIC IDUN approached the Single Buoy Mooring between 1143 and 1208 at gradual pace of about 3Kn, suggesting chance of commencing mooring operations however later aborted that motive and retreated exterior the Discipline.
Clearly, she had not commenced taking product from the oilfield. Additionally it is worthy to notice that it has been the Nigerian Navy’s modus operandi to watch crude oil tankers that method loading terminals with out crucial clearance, and impact arrest till the related company approves their reliable operation with the intention to avert crude oil losses adduced to theft. Such occasion is the arrest of one other vessel LNG Service, TRINITY ARROW, on 11 Jul 22, for loading LNG on the NLNG Terminal in Bonny with out clearance from Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Fee (NUPRC).
Upon NUPRC availing the Nigerian Navy with the requisite allow, the vessel was allowed to proceed her operations. The NN needs to enjoin the media, well-meaning Nigerians and well-wishers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to notice the precise incidence concerning MT HEROIC IDUN, and disrespect rumours, mischievous and fictitious articles being circulated by enemies of the State, in a bid to trigger chaos and discredit efforts of the Nigerian Navy.
The arrest of MV HEROIC IDUN and different such vessels engaged in unlawful actions will definitely ship a robust sign to different worldwide felony syndicates that the Nigerian navy is all the time on the alert to thwart their illicit dealings in stolen crude oil via persistent surveillance, immediate response and enforcement of nationwide legal guidelines.
The Nigerian navy assures Nigerians that in with its statutory duties and drawing energy from the strategic directives of the CNS, Vice Admiral Auwal Zubairu Gambo, the Service will keep a posture of zero tolerance to crude oil theft and different felony actions 9in our maritime area. The Navy shall work synergy with different maritime stakeholders to make sure that Nigeria deserves most profit from its pure maritime endowments.
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