EFCC Seize Ship With 300 tonnes of Stolen Diesel

Ocean Treasure

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on Thursday handed over an illegal oil bunkering vessel suspected to be carrying 300 metric tonnes  of  illegally refined  Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) also known as diesel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to a statement by the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, the vessel, MT Ocean Treasure, with eight crew members and three staff of Vital Shipping Limited, Apapa, owners of the vessel, were handed over to officials of the Commission.

“The crew members are Ayoade Emmanuel, Stephen Bamgbose, Idowu Balogun, King. C. Fred,  Michael Ekanem,  Olorunwa Omowunmi, Felix Ayenuberu and Suru Lepe; while the three staff on board the vessel are: Onuoha Ikechukwu, Omodara Emmaneul and Faith Akhahowa,” the statement said.

Duniya David, Principal Maritime Safety Officer of NIMASA, who handed over the vessel and crew on behalf of the Director General of NIMASA, Haruna Baba Jauro, urged the EFCC to carry out further investigation on the source of the petroleum product and the operations of the vessel.

Mr David said the boat had been chased by NIMASA’s enforcement team on routine patrol off Escravos last week but had escaped, although one of its crew had died when he fell over the side.

He said though the Captain of the ship escaped, officials later tracked and seized the vessel

Royal Dutch Shell recently estimated that bunkering siphons at least 150,000 barrels of oil per day from the 2 million barrel of crude oil produced per day.