BY Bunmi Aduloju
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it inspected an illegal oil vessel in Warri.
In a statement on Tuesday, the NNPC said Mele Kyari, its group chief executive officer (GCEO), and Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff
(CDS), visited Oporoza in Warri, Delta state, to inspect the illegal crude oil vessel.
The vessel, named MT Kali and loaded with thousands of metric tonnes of crude oil, was intercepted by Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSL), a private security firm, in collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
According to the statement, the vessel was arrested while it was loading directly from an offshore platform in Bayelsa state.
All 23 crew members onboard have been arrested, NNPC said.
During the inspection tour of the vessel on Monday, Musa said the military remains committed to working with NNPC Limited and other government and private security agencies to halt the menace of crude oil theft in the Niger Delta.
“We are committed to stopping all acts of criminality in Nigerian waters. We are also sounding a note of warning to the perpetrators of this crime that enough is enough,” the CDS said.
“The country is bleeding, and we need all funds to develop as a nation. It is by stopping these acts of criminality that we will be able to achieve that dream.”
Tantita Security had said the ocean-going vessel was arrested offshore Bayelsa.
Warredi Enisuoh, executive director of Tantita operations, said the vessel had been anchored at a location of NNPC in Oporoza in Delta state, adding that the suspects were kept on board.
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