The Nigerian Navy has
paraded four suspected oil thieves arrested aboard a merchant tanker, MT Everest, few kilometres from the
Port Harcourt Refinery on the water channels. Parading the suspects,
Flag Officer Commanding, FOC, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral
Atiku Abdulkadir, said the crew on board the ship had no certified qualifications
or formal training to be there, as workers.
He
said the ship was rigged at the time his men stormed the place, a sign that the
ship was set to siphon illegal crude from pipelines on the waterways.
Vanguard
report continues:
The
FOC explained that the ship had the capacity to convey 3,000 metric tonnes of
crude, saying, “MT Ever Rest is a merchant tanker with storage tank
capacity of 3000 metric tonnes. None of the crew members has anything to
justify his being on board. You cannot serve on board a ship without any
certificate or any formal training. The vessel is rigged, which is an
indication of moves to conduct illegalities. The hoses were connected to oil
facilities in the river. “
He said the Navy would soon
hand over those arrested on board the ship to the appropriate authorities for
further action, assuring that justice would be done on the matter.
Navy Arrests
Oil Seven Oil Workers Over Crude Oil Theft
WorldStage online reports that seven
suspected workers of an oil exploration and production company have been
apprehended by operatives of the Central Naval Command (CNC) over alleged
siphoning and selling crude oil from a wellhead in Bayelsa State. The Flag
Officer Commanding (FOC), CNC, Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman, said the
suspects were apprehended from a vessel christened, DERA 1 at Eremor Field 1 at
Peretorugbene town in Ekeremor Local Government Area of the stat.
The
exploration and production firm’s vessel was said to have been rounded up by
naval troops during a routine patrol of oil facilities in the area.
Conducting
journalists round the oil field, the FOC said it was discovered that a pipe was
connected from the wellhead to the vessel.
He
said the suspected had already pumped crude oil valued at over 8,000 metric
tonnes into the vessel when they were nabbed.
Suleiman
said that the oil firm was only authorized to take samples of the product
from Eremor Field 1 but not to sell it out to buyers.
He
said: “Eremor Field 1 is not a loading point. So, selling of the product by
staff of the oil firm was illegal.
"They
are only asked to take samples but from our investigation, we are made to know
that they have been selling from the barge.”
The
FOC disclosed that the command, through investigation, discovered that members
of the company had sold 5,000 metric tonnes of the product.
He
further said that the Navy came to know about the illegal deal when the
purchasing returned the product on the grounds that it was contaminated and
then sued the exploration firm.
The
FOC noted that the suspects were handed over to the relevant agency while
signals were sent to the Navy headquarters, Abuja for further direction.
He
warned persons involved in illegal oil activities in the area to desist
forthwith or be ready to face the full wrath of the law.
One
of the suspects and Safety Officer of the exploration and production firm, Mr.
Emmanuel Okotie told journalists that the capacity of crude in the vessel on
the spot was over 50, 000 barrels.
He
said, “I am aware that some product was moved from here but I am not aware of
its return because I am new here. The company has been taking samples
from the well-head since 2004.
"The
barge was storing the crude pending when a pipeline will be constructed through
Shell manifold to evacuate the crude."
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