WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE INCIDENT INVOLVING THE CRUDE OIL SUPER TANKER, MT HEROIC IDUN, THAT RESISTED ARREST IN NIGERIAN WATERS, IN AUGUST 2022:

By Tolu Ogunlesi

1. MT HEROIC IDUN is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) registered in the Marshall Islands, and has a capacity of 3 million barrels of crude oil. It was sailing with a crew of about 25 persons.

2. It entered Nigerian waters on the 7th of August, 2022, and arrived the Akpo Oilfield (deep offshore) around midnight of that day, with, according to the Nigerian Navy, “the obvious intention of lifting crude oil within the Field, albeit, illegally. This was, however, spotted by the Nigerian Navy Maritime Domain Awareness facility which probed the legitimacy of the Very Large Crude Carrier’s presence in the [TotalEnergies SE] operated Akpo Field.”

3. This Nigerian Navy Maritime Domain Awareness facility is known as Falcon Eye. It was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari (represented by the Vice President at the event) on July 13, 2021, at the Naval Headquarters.

4. Excerpt from the commissioning speech:

a. “The Falcon Eye System is a state-of-the-art surveillance system that incorporates various sensors located along the nation’s enormous coastline, such as radars, long-range electro-optic systems with thermal or night vision capability, automatic identification system receivers, weather stations and marine very high-frequency radios for communication. The integration of these sensors into the Falcon Eye System, we are told generates a real-time situational awareness of the activities of vessels in the Nigerian maritime domain and some selected parts in the Gulf of Guinea.”

b. “This will enable the Nigerian Navy to generate a comprehensive intelligence picture of activities within our maritime environment for further analysis before, in appropriate cases, dispatching a Nigerian Navy Ship for interdiction, investigation, and/or subsequent arrest of erring vessels.”

5. The Nigerian Navy (NN) was very clear about the fact that there was no lifting of oil by the Super Tanker before it was detected. The NN says it was still approaching the ‘Single Buoy Mooring’ – the point in the Oilfield at which ships anchor, in preparation for loading operations – when the NN intercepted it.

6. The NN says the Super Tanker spent barely 20 minutes on the approach to the Mooring Point, certainly not enough time for a Very Large Crude Carrier to take any crude. Loading a VLCC is not as simple as dropping a bucket into a well. No.

7. Also, this is not some obscure oilfield, it’s a major Field, housing a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit operated by TOTALEnergies SE.

8. TOTAL confirmed to Bloomberg that, “At no time was crude volumes transferred” to MT HEROIC IDUN.

9. Importantly, according to Reuters: “Most stolen oil is siphoned from onshore pipelines, and theft from a marine export line in a large vessel would be notably rare.”

10. And according to Bloomberg: “Nigerian authorities are under pressure to stem rampant crude theft from the country’s onshore pipelines. It would be highly unusual for such activity to occur in deepwater permits 200 kilometers off the coast.”

11. Nigerian Navy says checks with the NNPC revealed that the Super Tanker was not cleared or authorized to load crude oil from the Field.

12. Nigerian Navy says it routinely seeks clarification from NNPC regarding oil tankers within Nigerian waters. On July 11, 2022, an LNG Carrier, TRINITY ARROW, was arrested by the Nigerian Navy at the NLNG Terminal in Bonny, following the discovery that it was without the requisite permit for loading. As soon as the permit was issued, the Vessel was released and allowed to load LNG.

13. Apparently, some vessels commence their journeys without advance authorization from NNPC or other regulatory/clearance authorities, in the hope that by the time they approach the loading point, the authorization has been released.

14. Once it was established that MT HEROIC IDUN had no clearance to be in the Oilfield, the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) GONGOLA, an Inshore Patrol Craft (IPC) was deployed to the scene.

15. According to the NN, NNS GONGOLA asked the Super Tanker to “to turn around and follow NNS GONGOLA to Bonny anchorage pending when she will be cleared for loading by NNPC Ltd.”

16. The Super Tanker “refused to cooperate”, says the NN and then “engaged full speed southwards towards the Sao Tome and Principe maritime area in a bid to evade arrest.”

17. This is where it gets even more interesting. In addition to fleeing, the Super Tanker made a false broadcast to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) alleging it was under attack by pirates. It would have been a deliberate escape strategy because there was no way it would mistake a NNS for a pirate ship.

18. The Nigerian Navy responded quickly, and counter-alerted, through the West Africa Regional Maritime Safety Centre (CRESMAO), based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) Zone E (covering Nigeria, Benin, Niger, Togo), causing the false alert to be cancelled immediately.

19. [Interestingly, the Heads of these institutions happen to be Nigerian Navy Officers, according to the NN. (CRESMAO is headed by Rear Admiral Istifanus Mu’azu Albara)].

20. According to the NN, “Nigeria has not recorded any piracy attack in its waters in over one year. Hence, this mischievous act by the ship is clearly aimed at tarnishing the good image of the maritime domain of Nigeria, which we have worked very hard to achieve.”

21. The Nigerian Navy immediately invoked something called the Yaoundé Architecture, which is a Gulf of Guinea maritime safety and security collaboration, covering West and Central Africa (19 coastal countries in all). Once the Vessel entered Equatorial Guinea waters (Zone D of the MMCC), Nigeria notified Equatorial Guinea, through the Architecture. EG promptly dispatched a Ship, CAPTAIN DAVID, to intercept the MT HEROIC IDUN, on August 12.

22. The rogue Vessel is being held at the Luba Anchorage in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Media reports say Equatorial Guinea has released a statement saying it has asked Nigerian intelligence authorities to join in the investigations, and also that it will formally hand over the rogue ship to the Nigerian Government, once these early investigations are concluded.

23. Media reports also say that BP has acknowledged that it chartered MT HEROIC IDUN to load crude oil from the Akpo Oilfield on Aug 17/18. Reports also say the Vessel is “on long-term charter to Mercuria, making the trading company the de facto owner in the current situation.” (Which simply means BP chartered it from Mercuria. NOTE that there is no allegation of wrongdoing against any of the oil companies mentioned).

24. The illegalities MT HEROIC IDUN stand accused of are multiple: resisting/evading arrest by the Nigerian Navy, raising false piracy alarm, sailing without an identifying flag (according to the Equatorial Guinea Navy), and sailing in EG waters without prior authorization. (There may be more, we will know later).

25. This remains a developing situation. I expect that what will happen next is the handover of the Vessel to the NN, by Equatorial Guinea, and then Nigeria will likely advance its own investigations, and possibly commence prosecution.

Tolu Ogunlesi, August 2022

God will continue to help us as a nation until we have the right leaders with vision and positive mindset.

Distraction

Is he trying to say nothing

G

Kaiiii the kind theft that went took place under this administration is something else

Vote right. Vote wisely. Vote Peter Gregory Obi.

"23. Media reports also say that BP has acknowledged that it chartered MT HEROIC IDUN to load crude oil from the Akpo Oilfield on Aug 17/18. Reports also say the Vessel is “on long-term charter to Mercuria, making the trading company the de facto owner in the current situation.” (Which simply means BP chartered it from Mercuria. NOTE that there is no allegation of wrongdoing against any of the oil companies mentioned).

24. The illegalities MT HEROIC IDUN stand accused of are multiple: resisting/evading arrest by the Nigerian Navy, raising false piracy alarm, sailing without an identifying flag (according to the Equatorial Guinea Navy), and sailing in EG waters without prior authorization. (There may be more, we will know later)."

A Ship as big as this ran from our very own water ways and caught faraway Equatorial Guinea....and then, you are stylishly absolving the companies that contracted the ship of any illegal deals....are you saying the ship and the crew went for illegal oil lift on their own How can that be possible

The media have been shouting crude oil theft running into millions of barrels daily....you have a culprit and already colouring evidence..continue!

Matas

Now they are claiming no oil was stolen


The big men behind the heists are trying to wash off their hands

Pls anyone who read all that should kindly summarize. Thanks

Just see the huge vessels they are using to steal our oil

MyVILLAGEpeople:
Pls anyone who read all that should kindly summarize. Thanks

the picture bellow has summarized the story already, just study the picture well, what Sancho did to those Liverpool defenders is what the Nigerian Navy is trying to do to us but we refuse to except

MyVILLAGEpeople:
Pls anyone who read all that should kindly summarize. Thanks

They claim no oil was stolen

Body still dey weak me abeg where all this money dey!!

NO BE TODAY E START NA! IT STARTED RIGHT FROM 1960 AND ALL OF THEM ARE INVOLVED.
THE PROBLEM IS BLACKMAN,LOOK ALL OVER THE WORLD WHICH ALL BLACKMAN COUNTRY IS AMONG DEVELOPED COUNTRIES?NONE!

BLACKMAN HAS A BLACK HEART AND DARK SOUL RIGHT FROM ANCESTRAL DEITIES.
THIS IS GENERATIONAL,IF A BLACKMAN TELLS YOU THIS IS WHITE,YOU DEFINITELY KNOW IS BLACK,EXCEPT THE BLACKMAN THAT HAS REFINED HIS SOUL WITH PHILOSOPHIES(WAY OF BELIEF/DISCIPLINARY TEACHINGS) OF JESUS CHRIST.

THE SOLUTION IS TO INJECT ALL BLACK AFRICANS WITH RIGHT PHILOSOPHIES, VALUES AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF LIFE TO CURE THEIR SOUL.

ok

Naija ma country... Its well

Hmmm

The government that denied endsars shooting would admit to crude oil theft? Lmao

Lol, tompolo's ship

Don't allow yourself to be deceived. We will surely take back Nigeria From these leeches

Nice one from the Nigerian navy. If all our security architecture can be as proactive as this as well as all civil service parastatal... In no time will we get it right

Nawa

Ok