The Navy said such abandonment of vessels contributed to the high insurance premium on ships operating in Nigerian waters, adding that clearing the waters had cost so much money.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the director of Information, Commodore A.O Ayo-Vaughan, the Navy said a vessel identified as Merchant Vessel Cecelia was being tracked for allegations of oil theft.
This is coming after the Navy had been accused by the owners of the MV Cecelia of seizing and burning the vessel.
The statement read, “The vessel was arrested on 15 August 2023 with products suspected to be illegally refined AGO at Meco Jetty in Port Harcourt, Rivers State following an operation by the Naval Component of OPDS. A press interview was conducted immediately after the arrest, however, the owners of the vessel remained at large.
“Subsequently, the sample of the products onboard the vessel was taken for laboratory analysis and it was discovered to be illicit AGO. Pertinently, the owners of the vessel were at large and did not present themselves to witness the test in line with extant procedure”.
The statement added that it has been the practice among oil thieves, “in some cases where vessels involved in oil theft are arrested, the owners abscond leaving the NN to bear the cost of keeping and sustaining the vessels. This has cost the nation huge sums of money and has constituted serious national security problems.
The Navy complained that the sinking of most vessels caused ” serious navigational hazards,” more reason for such a declaration by the IMO.
“Most of the vessels either sink alongside the jetty or within the channel constituting serious navigational hazards. These abandoned vessels have been the major reason why the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the past, declared the nation’s ports/waterways as the most unsafe ports in the region.
“This has been a contributing factor to the high insurance premium on ships operating in Nigerian waters with a negative impact on the nation’s economy. Suffice it to state that NIMASA, NPA and the NN have expended huge sums of money in the clearing of wrecks in the waterways that resulted from abandoned vessels engaged in oil theft.
“The public is to note that MV CECELIA has not been operational and has been alongside for about 2 years. At the time of the arrest, the vessel was laden with about 250,000 litres of illicit AGO. So far 3 suspects have been arrested and have made useful statements while the alleged owners remained at large,” it stated.
According to the statement, the vessel has no NNPCL or any other regulatory approval to serve as an AGO storage facility. “This fact is clearly known to the NN and OPDS as all approved storage facilities are usually communicated to Naval Headquarters by relevant agencies for monitoring.
“It is important to note that the intelligence revealed that illegally refined products are received onboard MV CECELIA for storage. One of the suspects revealed that they usually bring illegally refined AGO in ‘Cotonou’ (large wooden) boats and Geepee tanks and offload into MV CECELIA pending when it will be sold to unsuspecting members of the public. It is unfortunate that this practice has been on without being detected until the recent re-invigorated intelligence-led operations by OPDS and the NN.”
The Navy stated that the arrest of MV CECELIA was a milestone achievement in the renewed drive to rid the Niger Delta of the illicit crime of oil theft, adding that the NN and OPDS will not be hindered by the usual antics of the oil thieves.
The statement committed to fighting oil theft in the waterways.
It read, “These sometimes include the owners claiming ignorance of the use of their vessels for illegalities. The NN and OPDS remain law abiding and will continue to carry out its statutory roles of fighting oil theft.”
