EMEA News
Illegal Bunkering Charges Brought Against Monjasa are Baseless, Says CEO
Anders Østergaard, CEO at Monjasa Holding A/S (Monjasa), says that the Nigerian authorities who have brought illegal oil bunkering charges against the supplier's Monjasa DMCC subsidiary - as well as 14 individuals and Glencore Energy UK Limited (Glencore) - have nothing on which to base their case, Shipping Watch reports.
"The important thing for me is to stress that there is nothing to this," said Østergaard of the charges.
"Our ship was boarded by the Nigerian navy as they wanted to see whether we were carrying Nigerian crude oil on board."
"All cargo is tested and the results confirm that the oil is, first of all, not crude, but fuel and diesel oil (bunkers), and that the oil is not Nigerian."
Østergaard pointed to a similar case from January in which the Angolan authorities arrested vessel M/T San Padre Pio for having transferred fuel to another ship 40 nautical miles off of Angola's coast.
Østergaard says Monjasa had to pay $40,000 in order for Angola to release the vessel.
Angolan authorities have said that bunker deliveries are not permitted within a 200 nautical mile limit from the Angolan coast.
"Unfortunately the authorities (in Nigeria) are now trying to charge us with operating in Nigerian territory without permission, even though the ship was beyond the 12 nautical mile radius, thus located in international waters," said Østergaard.
"But this case, along with the recent one in Angola, unfortunately illustrates clearly that several sovereign states are trying to claim rights to the [Exclusive Exonimic Zone] EEZ zone.
"Right now this is just a matter of getting our ship and crew out sailing safely again. And of course I should mention that both shipowner and forwarder, as well as our respective P&I clubs, are on the same side in this event."
Monjasa is reported to be the biggest bunker supplier off the coast of West Africa and has a total 17 vessels operating in the region.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria, meanwhile, announced Wednesday that they arraigned the 14 individuals identified as "foreigners" and charged them, along with the three companies, with illegal oil bunkering.
Ship & Bunker understands that Glencore’s involvement in the matter is limited to the fact their name appeared on the bill of lading, something which is standard practice as the company who sold the original cargo to Monjasa.
The case will go to trial later this week on June 17, 18, and 19, 2015.
