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Navy arrests another
bunkering ship
By Chris
Agbambu
Deputy
Bureau Chief,
Abuja
An oil tanker capable of
carrying 270 million litres of crude oil worth $40 million was last week
arrested for illegal bunkering by the Eastern Naval Command, the direct
result of a Presidential order that more military personnel be posted to
keep watch on loading points.
A military source disclosed
that even though the ship was released after 48 hours, it had been
arrested about 350 nautical miles in Nigerian waters close to the Bunga
oil platform while �looking dangerous and circulating around the oil
facility�.
The vessel, with a European
registration, came into the country�s territorial waters, anchored close
to the oil facility without correspondence with the relevant oil companies
and loitered for almost three weeks.
But the crew members were
shocked when they were accosted by Navy patrol gun boats acting on an
intelligence report.
They became apprehensive when
they were suspected of hanging around to pilfer oil out of
Nigeria.
The source confirmed that Navy
headquarters was contacted and that it immediately dispatched a signal to
arrest the tanker.
On interrogation, the crew
disclosed that the ship came to buy crude but that the papers were still
being processed by the oil company and the regulatory bodies hence their
decision to wait around.
However, the source said a
ship out to buy oil genuinely would have concluded all the arrangements
and financial transactions before berthing close to the loading bay of an
oil platform � all of which can be done in five
days.
To him, a situation whereby a
ship is in the country for about three weeks ready to load without the
necessary papers is suspicious and creates room for illegal
activities.
He added that the ship was
released within 48 hours of her arrest when the financial transactions and
all the documentation were completed.
The Presidency recently
directed the Navy to post additional personnel to loading quays after the
discovery that some oil companies engage in illegal
bunkering.
The decision, initially
opposed by oil companies, followed �incontrovertible evidence� that a lot
more activities go on behind the scenes.
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