The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) says oil thieves usually turn off the Automatic Identification System (AIS) of vessels to avoid detection.
The AIS is an automatic tracking system that uses transceivers on ships and is used by vessel traffic services.
According to the NPA Managing Director, Mohammed Bello-Koko, who spoke yesterday at a press briefing at the State House in Abuja, it is common for persons conducting illegal activities on Nigerian waterways to turn off the AIS.
Speaking on the vessel recently arrested with stolen crude close to the Escravos channel, he said: “The intelligent persons bringing in vessels to steal crude, one of the things they do is, they shut down the automatic identification systems, (AIS).
Speaking further, Bello-Koko expressed worry about the theft of buoys on shipping routes. “Each of the buoys which serve as navigational route signs costs between N12 million and N20 million, whereas no fewer than 25 of these maritime safety equipment have been stolen from Nigerians waters this year alone”, he said.
Bello-Koko explained that the absence of the buoys puts ships at risk of running aground. According to him, as a result of the anxiety, many foreign ships’ captains choose to avoid certain areas of Nigerian waterways.
To checkmate the activities of the vandals, the NPA boss said the management had been interacting with the locals and their leaders in communities where the theft occurs.
Bello-Koko said the stolen buoys are often turned to scrap, with the perpetrators vandalising the sensors.
