Tinubu orders Navy to destroy massive ship caught with 800,000 liters of stolen crude oil
President Bola Tinubu has taken a strong stance against crude oil theft by instructing the Nigerian Navy to destroy a large vessel that was intercepted carrying stolen Nigerian crude oil, according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The ship, named MT Tura II, was apprehended by private security contractors on July 7, 2023, while en route to Cameroon. The vessel, owned by local company Holab Maritime Services Limited, was found without valid documentation for the stolen oil.
Crude oil theft has been a significant challenge for President Tinubu and has resulted in reduced oil production in the Niger Delta region.
In response, the NNPC and its private security contractors acted on credible intelligence to intercept the vessel, llocated at offshore coordinates Latitude: 5.8197194477543235°, Longitude: 4.789002723991871°.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the stolen crude oil was illegally sourced from an offshore well jacket in Ondo State, Nigeria. Further scrutiny of the vessel’s activities indicated that it had been operating clandestinely for the past twelve years, with its last recorded location in July 2011 at Tin Can Port.
Recognizing the importance of deterring such illegal activities, the decision was made to destroy the vessel. This serves as a strong warning to others involved in the illegal trade of stolen crude oil, highlighting the economic losses, corruption, environmental devastation, and social instability associated with these activities.
The NNPC reassures Nigerians that the fight against crude oil theft will continue until it is completely eradicated.
Efforts to contact Holab Maritime Services Limited for comment were unsuccessful.
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