Following the receipt of credible intelligence, a private security contractor engaged by NNPC Ltd., Messrs. Tantita Security Services, intercepted a suspicious vessel with a cargo of crude oil on board on July 7, 2023.
The ship and its stolen merchandise, bound for Cameroon, were seized by a private security contractor off the Nigerian coast on Friday.
The Vessel, MT TURA II (IMO number: 6620462), owned by a Nigerian registered company, Holab Maritime Services Ltd., with Registration No. RC813311, was heading to Cameroon with the cargo on board when it was apprehended at an offshore location, with the captain and crew members on board.
According to the Corporate Affairs Commission, (CA) filings, the company is owned by Nigerian businessman, Henry Coker and other members of his family.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the crude oil cargo onboard was illegally sourced from a well jacket offshore in Ondo State. There was no valid documentation for the vessel or the crude oil cargo onboard at the time of the arrest.
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 twelve years. The last reported location of the vessel was Tin Can Island 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. 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.
NNPC Ltd. however assured Nigerians that we will sustain the momentum in the war against crude oil theft until it is brought to a halt.
