Nigeria has formally disowned the Very Large Crude Carrier, Skipper, seized by United States authorities over allegations of crude oil theft, piracy and other transnational crimes, insisting that the vessel is neither Nigerian-flagged nor owned by any company registered with the country’s maritime regulator.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said on Thursday that the tanker, with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Number 9304667, “does not belong to Nigeria” and is not listed under its flag registry. The agency also stated that the company reportedly linked to the vessel, Thomarose Global Ventures Limited, is not registered with NIMASA as a shipping company.
In a statement signed by its Deputy Director and Head of Public Relations, Osagie Edward, NIMASA said data obtained from its Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence (C4i) Centre showed that the vessel was last sighted in Nigerian waters on July 1, 2024.
According to the agency, the tanker subsequently followed an international voyage pattern, operating in the Arabian Sea before moving to the Caribbean, where it was eventually intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy.
“NIMASA’s analysis of the vessel’s movement confirms that it departed Nigerian waters over a year ago and was tracked across multiple international maritime zones before the U.S. interdiction,” the statement said.
The agency added that its records indicate the vessel was formerly owned by Triton Navigation Corp and had undergone several name changes over time, a factor it said often complicates ownership verification in global shipping.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola, reaffirmed the agency’s willingness to cooperate with international partners in the ongoing investigation. “Nigeria will continue to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders, including U.S. authorities, to ensure that maritime crimes are investigated and prosecuted. Criminality will not be tolerated in Nigerian waters,” he said.
The U.S. authorities had earlier announced the seizure of the 20-year-old supertanker, citing allegations of crude oil theft and other offences. The vessel was reportedly flying the Guyanese flag at the time of interception, although Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department later said the ship was not on its national registry, describing the use of its flag as “illegal and deceptive”.
Maritime stakeholders in Nigeria said the incident raises broader questions about global vessel monitoring rather than Nigeria’s ownership claims. President of the Centre for Marine Surveyors Nigeria, Engr Akin Olaniyan, said scrutiny would likely intensify for vessels departing the region. “If the vessel emanated from Nigeria, it suggests our Port State Control is practically non-existent. It also means any vessel leaving Nigerian waters may come under stricter scrutiny by Port State Control authorities in other countries. This issue has nothing to do with Nigeria as a country, but with regulatory enforcement,” he said.
A Corporate Affairs Commission search showed that Thomarose Global Ventures Limited, the Nigerian firm said to be associated with the vessel’s management, is currently inactive, with no contact details linked to its registered address in Effurun, Delta State.
As investigations continue in the United States into the tanker’s ownership, financial dealings and recent voyages, NIMASA said it has yet to receive any formal communication from U.S. authorities beyond media reports. The agency maintained that Nigeria’s position is based on verifiable registry and tracking records, which, it said, do not establish the Skipper as a Nigerian vessel.
