EMEA News
Nigeria Seizes Vessel and Barge Suspected of Loading Stolen Crude
A spokesperson for Nigeria's Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta, Isa Ado, Wednesday said it has seized an ocean going vessel and a barge in connection with suspected loading of stolen crude, Platts reports.
The arrested vessel, said to be known as the MT ASKJA, was anchored along the Forcados Estuary in the Warri South West when JTF troops seized it.
Eight crew are reported to have been onboard at the time and were detained along with the vessel, which is said to be currently located at Yokri for initial investigation.
Ado is reported to have said that several illegal refineries were destroyed by JTF troops during the raid.
The seizure comes at an uncertain time for tanker owners, as the country looks to combat oil theft and related malpractice.
Earlier this month the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO) recommended operators exercise caution in the region despite the lifting of a ban implemented by new president Muhammadu Buhari, preventing some 100 tankers from entering the country's territorial waters.
In related developments this week, separate reports indicate Buhari will name himself as the country's oil minister this week, in addition to "a junior minister in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources."
"The president has already made this [oil portfolio] known when he addressed the media in New York after addressing a Global Leaders' Summit on Countering ISIL and Violent Extremism," said one of Buhari's aides.
Currently, Nigeria is said to have the capacity to produce around 3.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude, but this figure has been held below 2 million bpd due to a reported "combination of large-scale theft and the sabotage of production facilities."
In September Ship & Bunker reported that Nigeria's lifting of the tanker ban was a surprise as legal sources suggested the prohibition would be permanent.
