A ship and a tug boat have been arrested in Bayelsa over allegations that they were used to siphon 6,000 metric tonnes of crude oil products, the Central Naval Command has said.
They were arrested at the Eremor 1 Marginal Oil Field in Ekeremor local government area in the state, information from the CNC affirmed.
The ship, MT DERA, and tug boat, RUNNER CHARLY, are said to be in the custody of the Navy along with 11 crew members arrested on the vessels, the News Agency of Nigeria reported.
According to Lt. Com. Eddie Yebo, who issued the statement on Tuesday, on behalf of the Flag Officer Commanding of the CNC, Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman, the arrests were made following a tip-off.
The statement read in part: “The barge was arrested at a point where there was no loading point.
“But rather, the crude was suspected to be stolen from a well head at the Eremor 1 Marginal Field,’’ he said.
In the statement, the Navy reaffirmed its commitment to bringing oil theft, pipeline vandalism and related crimes to an end, while warning perpetrators of the acts to desist from them or face the full wrath of the law.
The operation that led to the arrest of the vessels was spearheaded by the FOC who said that the Command would get to the bottom of the issue by conducting a thorough investigation.
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