Equatorial Guinea Detains Large Vessel Accused Of Stealing Crude Oil In Nigeria

A very large crude carrier (VLCC) has been detained by the navy in Equitorial Guinea after it got into a dispute with Nigerian authorities.

The 300,000 dead weight tonnage (dwt) carrier got into a dispute with Nigerian authorities last week and was chased down and detained by the navy in neighbouring Equitorial Guinea.

It was subsequently detained by Equitorial Guinea.

According to Maritime Executive, reports from the counties say Equatorial Guinea arrested the vessel contending that it illegally entered its water without permission as it sought to evade the Nigerian forces.

The VLCC, which was built in 2020, is named Heroic Idun. According to the AIS signal, she remains anchored at the port of Luba, which is used mostly as a logging port on the island Bioko in the Gulf of Guinea.

She has a crew of 26 aboard, comprising 16 Indians, eight Sri Lankans, one Pole, and one Filipino, and is being held while the matter is being investigated.

Teodoro Nguema, Vice President of Equatorial Guinea confirmed on his Twitter account that the country's authorities detained the large crude carrier named Heroic Idun.

“Equatorial Guinea is still investigating the tanker detained last week in Annobon following a tip-off from Nigeria. So far, the tanker has incurred two serious offences; first, entering our waters without prior authorization and second, navigating without an identifying flag," Nguema wrote.

The local media is reporting that Heroic Idun, registered in the Marshall Islands, was seen near the AKPO oil field, off the Nigerian coast, on August 7.

The Nigerian Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness facility was the first to detect the vessel and it reported the vessel for suspicious activity, saying that they did not believe the vessel had permits from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), nor other valid documents to be at the offshore field. Despite that, they believed the vessel was loading oil.

After the tanker departed the terminal, the Nigerian Navy ship Gongola tried to establish communication with the tanker. They were attempting to question the vessel on its activity and inspect its papers.

Media reports say the tanker resisted the contact and at one point issued a warning of an attempted boarding that was recorded by the International Maritime Bureau. The media is calling the report a false alarm but says that when the vessel was ordered to proceed to Bonny Fairway for further interrogation, it instead increased its speed and changed its direction toward Sao Tome and Principe.

The Nigerian forces requested the assistance of neighbouring Equatorial Guinea in the pursuit of the crude oil tanker. Nguema reports that the vessel was stopped on the afternoon of August 12 and ordered to sail to Equatorial Guinea.

Timipre Sylva, Nigeria's Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, recently estimated that every day, over 400,000 barrels of crude are stolen in Nigeria.

According to him, oil theft is already a national emergency,

Sylva noted that massive crude oil theft is affecting Nigeria's ability to meet OPEC's daily quota.

Sylva is the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources while President Muhammadu Buhari is the senior petroleum resources minister.

The country's export allocation fell from 1.8 million barrels to 1.4 million barrels, a loss the minister said could cripple Nigeria’s economy.

"This is because the thefts are occurring in communities that host the oil pipelines," Sylva recently told Imo governor, Hope Uzodinma. "As a result, it has become necessary to engage stakeholders, particularly host communities."

Source

The 300,000 dead weight tonnage (dwt) carrier got into a dispute with Nigerian authorities last week and was chased down and detained by the navy in neighbouring Equitorial Guinea.

Small equatorial Guinea again

Incredible!

Our Igbo Brothers in Equitorial Guinea should use the crude.
It is from our motherland!

Imagine such a large vessel docked on our waters, got filled with crude oil and set sail in controversial circumstances until it was halted @ the neighbouring country coastal territory? What a shame for the so called giant of Africa.

They will find that those who claim to be looking for missing oil are the patrons of those stealing it.

Corruption is the foundational cell on which Nigerians transact business.

Many are currently employed because of a pseudo economy created by corruption.

After the tanker departed the terminal, the Nigerian Navy ship Gongola tried to establish communication with the tanker. They were attempting to question the vessel on its activity and inspect its papers.



What does this even mean
After departure they ran after the ship
Why wait till it depart

Timipre Sylva, Nigeria's Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, recently estimated that every day, over 400,000 barrels of crude are stolen in Nigeria.

How can this be possible without connivance of govt and security outfits?

A 300,000 ton oil tanker lifting oil from an offshore filling point ?

They just waltzed over to the dispensing point and filled their tanker full and left like that?

Who are these people fooling?

The minister , the NNPC executives , Naval security all have a hand in this.

No country can be this incompetent. This is an inside job.

Period!

You mean from the South

The real nd famous "panya" itself...
Where some of my igbo brothers ran to during d civil war...saw beautiful "half-caste" women everywhere and a wonderful nightlife
Then forgot themselves there forever...
LOL...
We now make up roughly ten percent of their population...
Igbo kwenu!!!..

When I saw this headline yesterday I laughed
https://www.nairaland.com/7284420/no-pirate-attack-q1-2022
The piracy has gone high tech

Racoon:
Imagine such a large vessel docked on our waters, got filled with crude oil and set sail in controversial circumstances until it was halted @ the neighbouring country coastal territory? What a shame for the so called giant of Africa.

Nigeria is just big for nothing ....tuehhh

ok

Q

Oj

APC led government has sold this one off...

Nairalanders out there hustling and grinding for your next meal.

God bless you real good

Nigeria ntoor!!!!

WHERE IS THAT OUR NAVAL WAR SHIP SAILING AIMLESSLY ACROSS THE GLOBE?

How did it pass our shore without being detected?

T

I can almost guarantee they had Nigerian collaborators

Obi's supporters would not stop to amaze me walahi, they are the ones expressing disdain over this good news

Agbata-Ekee has bn going on our water ways and just yesterday they celebrated no pirates activities/attacks, abi? And I asked: define "attack"... Economic sabotage via oil theft no bi attack abi? Hypocrites! Wey Naija Navy dey NAU?

Una see una life?!?

Take Back Your Country
TheyDontReallyCareAboutUs

Imagine o

What Nigeria can't do herself

Ordinary Equatorial Guinea is doing it for us.

Chai. It is finished

Come over to the Niger delta, it is the government agencies that are deeply involved in oil theft in connivance with the so called security agents