Tompolo’s firm raises questions on discrepancies in port of discharge of impounded vessel

Tompolo’s firm raises questions on discrepancies in port of discharge of impounded vessel

 The Nigerian Navy and Tantita Security Services Limited, a
private security company, are at odds over the port of discharge for a vessel
suspected of oil theft.

 

The private security outfit is headed by Government
Ekpemupolo, a Niger Delta agitator, also known as Tompolo.

 

On Wednesday, the Tanita Security Services said it
intercepted the MT Praisel, a vessel carrying crude oil suspected to have been
stolen in the Koko area of Delta state.

 

The vessel was reportedly flying a Togolese flag and was
being escorted by a navy boat led by a senior naval commander.

 

In a statement on Friday, Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, the Nigerian
Navy spokesperson, cautioned members of the public against making assumptions
that the shipment of oil was stolen until the results of laboratory tests and
investigations are completed.

 

Ayo-Vaughan noted that the vessel in question was approved
by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority
(NMDPRA).

 

He added that the navy is awaiting the results of laboratory
tests and in-depth investigations into the allegation of stolen oil.

 

However, in a statement on Sunday, the private security
outfit acknowledged that the NMDPRA approved the MT Praisel as stated by the
navy, it questioned the discrepancy in the port of discharge.

 

“On August 1, 2023, Tantita received credible intelligence report
that a vessel, which had got NMDPRA approval to deliver HPFO from Koko to Lagos
offshore would proceed in the opposite direction,” the statement reads.

 

“On August 2, 2023, Tantita operatives approached the MT
PRAISEL as it made its way through a creek in Delta, off the Benin River.

 

“On board the vessel were naval personnel, while the Tantita
inspection crew included officers and men of Operation Delta Safe (the
inter-service task force for fighting crude oil theft).

 

 “The intelligence suggested
that the vessel ought to be sailing to Lagos, but the master of the vessel
showed he was sailing to Bonny.”

 

Tantita said that the company requested a naval clearance
for the MT Praisel, adding that the documentation shown by the master of the vessel
showed Koko as the port of discharge for storage only.

 

“There was nothing showing Bonny as port of discharge in
that document.

 

“In line with standard procedure, Tantita requested further
clarification from the crew regarding the discrepancy between NMDPRA approval
and the naval clearance, and permission to take samples of cargo on board.

 

 “This infuriated the
naval personnel on board, who requested Tantita personnel to disembark from the
vessel.

 

“Tantita had no option but to escalate the issue to higher
authorities, which mandated that the vessel anchor off Escravos for further
investigation.

 

 “We are yet to see
that documentation, and as we noted, the Nigerian Navy clearance we saw did not
state Bonny as the port of discharge.

 

“In the circumstances, there were reasonable grounds to
suspect the movement of MT PRAISEL in the opposite direction from the NMDPRA
clearance seen.

 

 “While it is our
honest belief that the Naval headquarters’ press statement was actuated by the
best motives, clearly, there are questions that beg for answers.

 

“For example, why is NMDPRA approved port of discharge
(Lagos offshore) different from the Navy clearance (Koko as storage) and why
are both different from the port of discharge stated in the naval press
statement (Bonny)?

 

 “In several joint
meetings, we have consistently asked for a single clearing house for all
approvals so that each agency of government can see what the other is approving
or has approved.”

Source: Tompolo’s firm raises questions on discrepancies in port of discharge of impounded vessel

 - NigerianEye
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