The Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Rear Adm. Sanusi Ibrahim, says it impounded 25 vessels used in oil theft and deactivated 117 illegal refining sites in 2021.

In his welcome address at the 2021 Eastern Naval Command ceremonial ‘Sunset’ held at NNS Jubilee on Thursday, Mr Ibrahim said the command’s effective patrol made the impounding possible.

He added that its sustained operations at sea led to a considerable reduction in piracy.

“The command sustained effective patrol of its maritime area of responsibility and undertook several clearance and swamp buggy operations in the backwaters. These operations resulted in considerable reduction of piracy and led to the impounding of 25 vessels engaged in illegal bunkering, crude oil theft and other forms of maritime illegalities,” said Mr Ibrahim. “This is in addition to the command’s anti-smuggling efforts, which led to the seizure of more than 3,062 bags of 50kg parboiled foreign rice.”

The flag officer added that the command also deactivated 117 illegal refining sites, evacuated about 38,431 tonnes of illegally refined diesel and destroyed several pirates and kidnappers hideouts.

He said during the period, there was also infrastructure development across all Bases and units under Eastern Naval Command with a particular focus on enhancing security and improving personnel welfare.

Mr Ibrahim enjoined naval personnel not to rest on their laurels but to always conduct themselves per ethos and traditions of the navy and renew their commitment to national security.

He commended the Chief of the Naval Staff, Awwal Gambo, for his strategic support to ensure the modest achievements recorded by the command.

(NAN)