Nigerian Navy Seizes 100,000 Litres of Stolen Crude Oil in Akwa Ibom
The Nigerian Navy’s ship, NNS Jubilee, has successfully intercepted a boat carrying 100,000 litres of stolen crude oil in the Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Commodore Martins Fakrogha, the Commander of NNS Jubilee, confirmed the operation while speaking to reporters at Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area on Thursday. He explained that the boat was captured on Tuesday around 5:00 a.m. as it was approaching one of the state’s oil wells.
The boat, identified as a large “Cotonou boat,” was spotted approximately 23.9 nautical miles from the entrance to Imo River. Upon noticing a vessel from the Private Maritime Logistics Support Company (PMLSC) with Nigerian Navy personnel onboard, the crude oil thieves abandoned the boat.
Fakrogha emphasized that this seizure was part of the ongoing “Operation Delta Sanity 2,” which targets illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism, smuggling, piracy, and other maritime crimes in the country’s Eastern maritime region. The operation aims to reduce such crimes and increase Nigeria’s crude oil production.
The items recovered from the boat included 100,000 litres of suspected crude oil, 12 Gee Pee tanks, three service tanks, four submersible pumps, and three outboard engines.
The commander issued a stern warning to oil thieves and other criminals in the Eastern maritime region, stressing that the Navy would continue to take decisive action against economic sabotage.
“We will deal ruthlessly with economic saboteurs,” Fakrogha declared, reaffirming the Navy’s commitment to curbing maritime crime in the country.
