Bayelsa Vessel: Captain confesses, says he was instructed to load diesel, not crude oil

He said he was also instructed to carry out some turnaround maintenance on the vessel before the ill-fated voyage to Bayelsa State.

He said: “When we set out from Lagos State, the boat has been in Lagos for more than a year. They were doing some maintenance on it.

“So when we came out, we were instructed to test run the engine. So for like 10 miles and after 10 miles and we are satisfied that she can go as far as Bayelsa, then we should let them know”, he said.

According to him, after a successful test-run, he and the crew were directed to sail to Bayelsa State and return to Lagos State with AGO (Diesel).

He said on anchoring the vessel in Bayelsa State, the local agent he spoke to said it was AGO that was the original plan in his statement, but didn’t know when crude oil was delivered into the vessel.

“So when I got there, I dropped anchor and spoke with the agent which he also, as to his message statement, he confirmed that it was AGO that was the original plan to come and  load.

“So at which point it now turned out to be crude, that is what I am still battling with up till now.

“Currently, we have 119 tonnes of crude oil on board the vessel. The agent brought his boys and at the end of the day filled the vessel with crude.

“The agent brought his boys and at the end of the day, he brought his boys. So o still even think that but when I saw them.

“I don’t know and I tried to reach the management but where we were, the network was not good.”

Meanwhile, the Director of Operations of TSSNL, Captain Warredi Enisuoh, who coordinated the arrest, said the vessel, crew and some local accomplices were caught last Thursday siphoning crude oil from one of the several platforms in Pennington Oil Field in Bayelsa State.

According to him, both human and technical intelligence were deployed to track the vessel, over time, before her eventual interception.

He also confirmed that the vessel had been involved in illegal oil thefts in the past.

The Director of Operations, TSSNL also disclosed that those campaigning against the involvement of private security companies were bunkerers whose illegal activities were disrupted by their engagement and operations.

“We want to seize this opportunity to let Nigerians know that those who campaign against the private security companies in participating in this fight are bunkerers.

“They can continue but we will not relent, we will not resist our efforts towards fighting this. We will continue to be resilient and we will definitely assist the country in resolving this.

“We will assist also the Nigerian security forces, which are happy to participate in securing our assets to do this job. Take it from here that I said so.

“They can continue but we will not relent, we will not resist our efforts towards fighting this.

“We will continue to be resilient and we will definitely assist the country in resolving this.

“We will assist also the Nigerian security forces, which are happy to participate in securing our assets to do this job,” he vowed.