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From Idu Jude, Abuja
The management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has stated that the vessel linked to crude oil theft and arrested by the US Coast Guard was never registered with the Nigerian agency, and the owner was not aware of its registration.
In a statement over the weekend, NIMASA said its attention had been drawn to media reports stating that the United States Coast Guard, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, intercepted a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) SKIPPER with IMO Number 9304667, alleged to be Nigerian-owned and involved in crude oil theft and other transnational crimes.
NIMASA wishes to put on record that the VLCC SKIPPER is not a Nigerian-flagged vessel, and its purported owners, Thomarose Global Ventures Limited, are not registered with NIMASA as a shipping company.
According to the release, analysis of the vessel’s movement, monitored through the Agency’s Command, Control, Communication, Computers, and Intelligence (C4i) Centre, shows that the vessel was last sighted in Nigerian waters on 1 July 2024.
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“After departing Nigerian waters, the vessel continued on its international voyage pattern and was tracked operating in the Arabian Sea (Asia) and later in the Caribbean region, where the U.S. interdiction eventually took place.
Records indicate that SKIPPER, which was formerly owned by Triton Navigation Corp, has undergone multiple name changes over time.
The Director General of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola, reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders, including U.S. authorities, in the ongoing investigations. He emphasised that criminality will not be tolerated in Nigerian waters.
