Tag: Maritime security

Bayelsa: Tompolo’s private outfit arrests ocean-going vessel conveying ‘stolen crude’   

Aminu Imam

Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSL), a private security firm owned by Government ‘Tompolo’ Ekpemupolo, says it has arrested an ocean-going vessel conveying thousands of metric tonnes of ‘stolen crude’ oil off-shore Bayelsa State. The vessel, named: ‘MT Kally’, was said to be apprehended in a joint operation by the officials of TSSL and operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Friday night. According to Tantita, the engineer and captain of the vessel, who identified themselves as Promise Eze and Adeboye David respectively, along with accomplices from…

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Maritime Security: Nigeria among 8 countries in Gulf of Guinea, facing piracy challenges

Aminu Imam

Nigeria is one of the eight countries situated in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), along with Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo. The Gulf of Guinea encompasses the northeastern part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean, extending from Cape Lopez, in Gabon, to Cape Palmas in Liberia, with a Regional Office based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Over the years, this region has been plagued by a persistent issue of piracy. Incidents involve the hijacking of vessels, kidnapping of crew members for ransom, and theft of crude oil…

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‘Nigeria’s waters now secured for local, intl. trade’ – Navy chief

Aminu Imam

The Nigerian Navy says it has successfully secured the country’s territorial waters for local and international merchant ships to transport goods and services without fear of criminal attacks. Chief of Training and Operations, Nigeria Navy, Rear Adm. Zakariyya Muhammad, gave this indication to newsmen in Onne, Rivers, at the end of a four-day naval expedition, codenamed: “Exercise Nchekwa Oshimiri 2023”. The 4-day exercise, tagged: ‘Chief of the Naval Staff 2023 Annual Sea Inspection’, featured 13 warships, 88 patrol boats, two helicopters and 4,000 personnel. Muhammad said the Navy was able…

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Maritime Security Alert:  IMB fret over piracy surge in Gulf of Guinea

Aminu Imam

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has expressed concern over the growth of reported piracy incidents within the Gulf of Guinea waters in its 2023 mid-year report. The survey also found an increase in events in the Singapore Strait, with a substantial 25% rise in recorded incidents in the waters when compared to the same period from the previous year. The Gulf of Guinea saw a “concerning” surge in incidents in the first half of 2023, with five incidents reported in Q1 and nine in Q2. Of these, 12 were classified…

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Maritime Security: ‘Nigeria spent $195m in 2021 to tackle piracy in Gulf of Guinea’ – Buhari

Aminu Imam

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, said Nigeria will continue to deploy significant resources towards tackling Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, adding that in June 2021, the government unveiled $195 million worth of boats, vehicles and aircraft to spearhead the country’s fight against Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea through the Deep Blue Project. Speaking for the last time as Nigeria’s President at the 3rd Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC), Tuesday in Accra, Ghana, President Buhari stressed that…

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Gulf of Guinea: Pirates switching from kidnapping to oil theft 

Aminu Imam

…As Nigeria loses over $2bn to oil bunkering in 8 months Africa’s Gulf of Guinea is witnessing a shift in the dynamics of piracy, with criminal networks moving away from targeting commercial ships to oil bunkering, theft and illegal fishing, a report presented to the UN Security Council (UNSC) has revealed. The report also revealed that the widespread cases of thefts have resulted in Nigeria losing more than $2 billion during the first eight months of this year. According to a report released by Maritime Executive yesterday, the UN Security…

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Maritime Security: Korean oil tanker hijacked by pirates in Gulf of Guinea

Aminu Imam

An SK Shipping tanker has been confirmed as the victim of a hijacking for the second time this year in the Gulf of Guinea. Piracy reporting body Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade Gulf of Guinea had reportedly said communication had been lost with the 5,700-dwt B Ocean (built 2010) on Wednesday night, but its fate was unclear. A security company, Ambrey said, yesterday: “It was subsequently confirmed that pirates had boarded the vessel, cut communications, and had stolen cargo”. The crew was reported to be safe. Another security company, Africa…

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Maritime Security: FG arraigns 26 foreign crew of vessel arrested with Nigeria’s stolen crude

Aminu Imam

The Federal Government has arraigned the crew of the Very Large Crude Carrier, (VLCC), MT Heroic Idun, suspected of being involved in oil theft in Nigeria. Following their arrest, the ship’s 26 man crew, made up of Indian, Sri Lankan, Filipino, Brazilian, and Polish nationals were arraigned at the Federal High court in Port Harcourt the Rivers State capital on Monday. Prosecuting on behalf of the Federal Government, the Ministry of Defence arraigned the crew on a three-count charge bordering on false pretence, attempted crude oil theft, and piracy among…

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Crude Oil Thefts: “We have no record of ships working on Nigerian oil fields” – NIMASA

Aminu Imam

In the face of on-going bursts on crude oil thefts and illegal activities taking place in Nigerian oil fields, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), has said that it has no record or access to the ships coming into the oil fields through the International Oil Companies (IOCs). Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari recently approved the hiring of former Niger Delta warlord, Chief Government Tompolo, and his security company, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited to check crude oil theft in the Niger Delta. The security outfit has so…

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US Navy arrives in Nigerian waters to boost maritime security in Gulf of Guinea

Aminu Imam

The United States Coast Guard ship ‘Cutter Mohawk (WMEC 913)’ arrived at the Nigerian Naval Dockyard in Lagos, on Friday, for a scheduled port visit. Shortly after the ship’s arrival, Consul-General Will Stevens and Commander Andrew Pate, Mohawk’s Commanding Officer, met with Rear-Admiral Yakubu Wambai, the Flag Officer Commanding Nigeria’s Western Naval Command, to discuss the United States and Nigeria’s shared commitment to a safe and secure Gulf of Guinea. During the visit, the US Naval officers will meet with the Nigerian Navy leadership at the Western Navy Command Headquarters in…

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