The Nigerian Navy (NN) says the teams operating under Operation Delta Sanity have nabbed a Ghanaian vessel with 13 crew members for alleged crude oil theft.

It said the crew comprised one Ghanaian and 12 Nigerians on board the Ghanaian-owned and registered vessel, Motor Tanker (MT) SWEET MIRI.

In a statement on Monday, the navy spokesperson, Rear Adm. Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, said the operation was conducted on February 25 at about 174 nm (approximately 320km) off Nigeria’s coast, heading towards the Benin Republic.

He said the vessel was observed to have switched off her Automatic Identification System (AIS) to evade detection.

Mr Ayo-Vaughan said the infraction by the vessel contravened the International Ships and Port Security Code (ISPS) and was tagged a “Vessel of Interest” (VoI) by the Nigerian Navy.

According to him, the navy maritime domain awareness infrastructure observed the criminal intent of the vessel and subsequently vectored two NN ships on patrol to interrogate the vessel.

“It was discovered that MT SWEET MIRI was involved in illegalities, and the vessel was subsequently arrested.

“Curiously, the suspicious disposition of the vessel necessitated the swift deployment of the Nigerian Navy ships ABA and SOKOTO to intercept the vessel.

“Notably, upon arrest, MT SWEET MIRI was found carrying about two million litres of product suspected to be crude oil without any form of approval from relevant authorities,” he said.

Mr Ayo-Vaughan said the relevant approving and prosecuting agencies had been notified for sample collection to further ascertain the vessel’s culpability or otherwise.

He said this was in line with the directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla, for an in-depth and independent investigation, adding that it was necessary to unmask the nation’s enemies and institute holistic and detailed investigations.

Mr Ayo-Vaughan assured that the navy, through the reinvigorated Operation Delta Sanity, would continue to collaborate with relevant maritime, security, and law enforcement agencies to monitor and evaluate suspected infractions.

(NAN)