- The Navy arrested a vessel and 12 crew members over alleged crude oil theft
- The operation followed intelligence gathered through surveillance systems
- Authorities recovered fuel oil and crude oil during the operation
The Nigerian Navy has intercepted a vessel allegedly involved in illegal crude oil and fuel theft and arrested its 12 crew members during an operation under Operation DELTA SENTINEL.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed in an operational update that the operation was carried out in the early hours of Thursday following intelligence gathered through the Navy’s surveillance and monitoring systems.
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According to him, naval operatives intercepted the vessel, MT FILIA, at Utue Terminal in Akwa Ibom State, where it was allegedly siphoning crude oil from an oil well terminal facility.
Preliminary findings showed that the vessel was carrying about 32.82 metric tonnes of fuel oil and 650 metric tonnes of crude oil without valid documentation or legal authorisation.
Folorunsho said the vessel, its 12 crew members and the recovered products have been taken into custody for further investigation and possible prosecution.
He quoted the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, as commending the officers involved in the operation for their professionalism and vigilance.
The naval chief reaffirmed the service’s commitment to tackling crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other maritime crimes that threaten Nigeria’s economy and national security.
He noted that Operation DELTA SENTINEL, launched to curb crude oil theft and related economic sabotage, has continued to record significant successes through intelligence-led operations, continuous surveillance and collaboration with other security agencies.
According to Abbas, between April and June, the Navy recovered more than 4.7 million litres of petroleum products, dismantled over 58 illegal refining sites, destroyed 239 dugout pits and 13 refining ovens, and arrested more than 91 suspects linked to crude oil theft.
He added that the achievements coincided with Nigeria’s crude oil production rising to 1.89 million barrels per day in July, exceeding the country’s production quota set by OPEC.
The Chief of Naval Staff assured that the Navy would continue supporting efforts to boost crude oil production, safeguard oil and gas infrastructure and maintain security across the nation’s maritime environment.
He also appealed to members of the public to provide credible information that would assist security agencies in the fight against crude oil theft and other maritime offences.
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