•Impounds vessel with 120,000 litres of diesel The Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy yesterday said it had arrested 10 suspects linked with illegal bunkering of adulterated diesel along the coast of Akassa in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The Operations Officer of the command, Emmanuel Enemor, who disclosed this to journalists in Yenagoa, the state capital, said the fishing trawler used in stealing 120,000 litres of diesel was also impounded.
Enemor said the suspects and other exhibits had been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for prosecution.
He added that the captain of the vessel, MV Dalal, had confessed to the crime.
It was learnt that the confession was made shortly after the arrest of the vessel by operatives of Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base at Formosa in Brass Local Government.
Enemor said the Navy intercepted the vessel while on a routine patrol off the coast of Brass following suspicions that it had on board illegally refined diesel.
He said: "The vessel was operated under a registered name and licence of Solabaster Oil and Gas Limited located at 5 Bombay Crescent Apapa, Lagos.
"The vessel was a fishing trawler now converted to motor tanker for the purpose of illegal bunkering.
"At the time of the arrest, the vessel did not have Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, bunkering permit, ship's log, Naval Headquarters' approval and the certificate of the Joint Task Force, JTF, codenamed Operation Pulo Shield.
"Laboratory analysis of the sample of the product from the vessel also indicated that the AGO on board is of poor diesel quality."
The operations officer added that there was need to institute a proper legal action against MV Dalal, noting that the Navy would be in custody of the seized vessel until the matter was concluded.
Enemor said the Navy had in the past few weeks renewed its determination to completely curb all forms of illegal activities in the maritime sector.
He said: "We are concerned with crude oil theft, illegal refining of stolen crude, pipeline vandalism, sea robbery, piracy, kidnapping, hijacking of vessels and attacks on vessels."
National Mirror