Crude oil being illegally transported in the Niger Delta
Operatives
of the Central Naval Command have arrested 14 oil thieves and impounded
two vessels along Brass and Sangana waterways in Bayelsa State.
Our correspondent gathered that the suspects and the vessels, MV BUYUS and MT HENTY PIONEER, were rounded up at separate points for allegedly forging clearance certificate and loitering.
The Command Operation Officer, Commodore Emmanuel Enemor, told our correspondent on Sunday that MV BUYUS and its seven crew members were arrested for forging a naval clearance document.
He said they were arrested by the operatives of the Forward Operating Base, FORMOSO, who were on a routine patrol off the coast of Brass.
The vessel, he said, was converted from a fishing trawler to an oil tanker.
Enemor said, “Any vessel found loitering
aimlessly on the Akassa, Nun and Sangana rivers is often tagged as a
vessel of interest and interrogation because of the criminal activities
particularly crude oil theft, illegal refineries, piracy, sea robbery,
illegal bunkering and a host of other criminal acts these areas are
notoriously known for.
“The conversion of the vessel from a
fishing trawler to a tanker for bunkering was believed to be illegal as
the captain could not tender any documents in support of the
conversion.”
He explained that MT HENTY PIONEER with its seven crew members, were rounded up for loitering along the Sangana River.
He alleged that the vessel and its occupants were engaged in illegal bunkering.
He said the captain of the ship could
not tender the ship’s relevant documents, Nigerian Port Authority’s
bunkering permit and the certificate of registration with the Joint Task
Force, codenamed Operation Pulo Shield at the time of the arrest.
He added that the captain failed to substantiate their intentions for being at the area.
He, however, said after thorough
investigations and considering the circumstances surrounding the arrest,
the navy released the vessel and her crew members.
PUNCH
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