Belgian Tanker Seized by Nigerian Navy Over Illegal Bunkering

A Belgian tanker has been seized by the Nigerian Navy for illegal bunkering off the coast of Bayelsa. The ship’s crew has also been detained by authorities.

The MT St Vanessa was intercepted last week with 15 crew members onboard, including 6 Romanians and 9 Philippines. According to the Global Times, officials from the Regional Maritime Domain Awareness Center noted the vessel idling off the coast of Akassa and Brass, an area notorious for illegal bunkering and crude oil theft.

The vessel also had no papers from authorities to operate over Nigerian territorial waters. The ship continuously moved between nearby locations off the coast for about 10 days, travelling towards the coast in the night and back into the deep waters during the day.

Eventually, the NNS Zaria was dispatched by Nigeria’s navy to intercept the suspect ship – which attempted to outrun the naval vessel. After a 3-hour chase, St Vanessa was no longer able to elude its seizure. The tanker was forced to anchor and was escorted to Bonny for additional questioning.

An initial investigation indicated that MT St Vanessa was indeed involved in illegal activities.

The Nigerian Navy will continue to ensure zero tolerance for all illegal activities in the maritime domain, especially including oil theft. They have warned all vessels without proper documentation for their operations in the Nigerian territorial waters to stay away. Foreigners should be reminded to not be persuaded into the crude oil theft business. Those willing to engage in legitimate businesses in Nigerian waters have their safety guaranteed.