FG begins prosecution of arrested alleged rogue foreign vessel, crew

As Nigeria battles oil theft, the Federal government and the Navy have commenced prosecution of the suspected criminal vessel, MT Heroic Idun and crew handed over to the Nigerian authorities by the government of Equatorial Guinea.

Addressing newsmen on the development, the Chief of Policy and Plans, Navy Headquarters, Rear Admiral Seidu Garba noted that this ‘mischievous’ act by MT HEROIC IDUN was aimed at tarnishing the good image of the maritime domain of Nigeria, which we have worked very hard to achieve and sustain.

The briefing was jointly addressed by the Navy, representatives of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice.

According to Garba, “You may recall that on Friday, August 19, 2022 the Naval Headquarters briefed the Press on the arrest of Motor Tanker HEROIC IDUN by the Equatorial Guinean Navy. It was mentioned that the Very Large Crude-oil Carrier (VLCC) had entered the Nigerian Maritime Environment (NME) on August 7, 2022 and headed for Akpo Field without any form of authorisation or clearance.

“For the avoidance of doubt, MT HEROIC IDUN (IMO: 9858058) is registered in Marshall Island with an overall length of 336-metres, 60 metres breadth and a capacity of 3 million barrels. The vessel was spotted by the Nigerian Navy Maritime Domain Awareness facility and a Nigerian Navy (NN) Inshore Patrol Craft, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) GONGOLA probed the legitimacy of her presence in the Total Safe Anchorage-operated Akpo Field.

“Following the interrogation, the Captain of MT HEROIC IDUN duly responded to NNS GONGOLA and further stated that his vessel was without relevant clearance to operate in the Field.

“The vessel was therefore ordered to turn around and follow NNS GONGOLA to Bonny anchorage pending when she will be cleared for loading by NNPC Ltd. However, she bluntly declined on the claims that she had been told by her agent not to take directives from the Nigerian Navy Ship. Thereafter, she engaged full speed southwards towards the Sao Tome and Principe maritime area in a bid to evade arrest.

“Apart from refusing lawful arrest, the Captain of the vessel made a broadcast of false piracy attack call to International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre to mislead mariners that NNS GONGOLA was a pirate vessel and possibly concoct an alibi for her desperate action.

“On the piracy alert, the Nigerian Navy also through international collaboration alerted relevant piracy reporting centres through CRESMAO and ECOWAS ZONE F Cotonou headed by Nigerian Navy officers for the alert to be cancelled immediately which was done by IMB.

“Suffice to state that Nigeria has not recorded any piracy attack in its waters in over one year. Hence, this mischievous act by MT HEROIC IDUN was clearly aimed at tarnishing the good image of the maritime domain of Nigeria, which we have worked very hard to achieve and sustain.

“The Nigerian Navy therefore invoked the collaboration of neighbouring Equatorial Guinea through the Yaoundé Architecture to arrest the vessel. With the aid of the Nigerian Navy surveillance facility, MT HEROIC IDUN was tracked and the Equatorial Guinea Amphibious Ship, CAPTAIN DAVID was therefore vectored to intercept and arrest the fleeing ship on 12 Aug 22.

“Pertinently, MT HEROIC IDUN was held at the Luba Anchorage in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea while the country conducted her own investigations owing to some infractions the vessel had also committed in the country’s waters. Whilst these were ongoing, a formal request was made to transfer the vessel to Nigeria as mentioned during the Press Briefing on August 19, 2022.”