Nigerian Navy has confirmed that the MT Heroic Idun has not started loading crude oil products before it was accosted by Nigerian Navy Ship Gongola at the Akpo oilfield terminal.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Navy, made the confirmation on Friday at a press briefing, adding that “Nigeria has not recorded any piracy attack in its waters in over one year.”
“To set the record straight, MV HEROIC IDUN was inside the Akpo Oilfield designated guard zone in the nautical chart from 0006 – 1432 on 8 Aug 22. While inside Akpo field, MV HEROIC IDUN approached the Single Buoy Mooring between 1143 and 1208 at slow speed of about 3Kn, suggesting likelihood of commencing mooring operations but later aborted that motive and retreated outside the Field. Clearly, she had not commenced taking product from the oilfield.
“It is also worthy to note that it has been the Nigerian Navy’s modus operandi to monitor crude oil tankers that approach loading terminals without necessary clearance, and effect arrest until the relevant agency approves their legitimate operation in order to avert crude oil losses adduced to theft. Such instance is the arrest of another vessel LNG Carrier, TRINITY ARROW, on 11 Jul 22, for loading LNG at the NLNG Terminal in Bonny without clearance from Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).”
Gatekeepers News earlier reported that the vessel, a 336-metre-long tanker with a carrying capacity of 299,995 MT, is reportedly owned by Hunter Tankers AS, domiciled in Scandinavia, Norway, but operated by Trafigura Maritime Logistics in Netherlands.
The Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) with IMO number: 9858058 was fleeing arrest in Nigeria, after it was seen around the AKPO Oil Field, Deep Offshore Bonny on August 7 but was detained in Equatorial Guinea.
The vessel had arrived at the Total Safe Anchorage (SA) operated by Akpo Oil Field for loading operations but was interrogated by the Nigerian Navy and later observed to be without NNPC due to clearance for the loading operations. Notwithstanding, MT HEROIC IDUN proceeded with the loading operation at the Akpo Single Buoy Mooring (SBM) on 8 August 2022.
It was stopped from proceeding further by Nigerian Navy Ship GONGOLA when it failed to produce her NNPC clearance papers for the loading operation.
The Captain of MT HEROIC IDUN then revealed that he was instructed by his ship’s agent, Messrs Inchcape Shipping (owners of IDUN Maritime Limited) not to obey any directive from the Nigerian Navy. The VLCC subsequently resisted arrest when ordered to stop by NNS GONGOLA and the supertanker escaped towards the Nigeria – Sao Tome Joint Development Zone Area.
In a bid to justify her escape, MT HEROIC IDUN reported her encounter with NNS GONGOLA as a sea robbery/pirate attack on various international maritime security watch platforms.
On Friday, the Navy that the arrest of MV HEROIC IDUN and other such vessels engaged in illegal activities will certainly send a strong signal to other international criminal syndicates that the Nigerian navy is always on the alert to thwart their illicit dealings in stolen crude oil through persistent surveillance, prompt response and enforcement of national laws.
