Alleged release of MT Prestigious vessel by Nigerian Navy baseless — Shipowner

With recent reports by a Niger-Delta Group, the Niger Delta Renaissance Network, on the Nigerian Navy releasing a vessel apprehended by a private security firm for allegedly stealing crude oil, the vessel owner, Newcross Exploration And Production Limited, has revealed that the vessel is indeed still under the surveillance and close monitoring by the Nigerian Navy in Bonny.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the vessel owners to the National Security Advisor, the Chief of Defense Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Newcross Exploration And Production Limited, stated that after the visit by the IGP Illegal Bunkering Team (“Operation Tantita”) to MT Prestigious which occurred on May 2, 2024, the team alleged that they had received reports of illegal bunkering activities of a vessel with an IMO number matching MT Prestigious WD, the 2nd mother vessel deployed in Bonny to support the NewcrossEP barging operations.

Although no clear evidence of the allegations was shared, written testimony was taken from the MT Prestigious Captain, Donna Spectre (barging vendor) Representative, and NewcrossEP representative confirming the vessel’s only purpose is to convey crude to Bonny Terminal SBM3.

Subsequently, a request was made to collect cargo samples for fingerprinting which cannot be granted without the written approval of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the presence of an independent laboratory.

Findings by Tribune Online saw the presence of officers and men of the Nigerian Navy aboard the vessels in Bonny, making the allegation by the Niger Delta Renaissance Network, that the Vessels have been released baseless.

However, the vessel owners have also spoken on the urgent need for intervention of NUPRC on the IGP team to ensure that due process is followed and the stoppage to their operations can be quickly resolved considering the critical role they play in generating value for the nation.

Newcross Exploration And Production Limited, in the statement further added that the potential impact of this delay has numerous financial implications for the Nation, which are: “Suspension of more than 100kbopd in crude oil production; Suspension of gas delivery for domestic and export supply (e.g. NLNG); and disruption of terminal operations and lifting programmes due to low stock inventory.”