Crude oil theft: Rogue ships turn off identification device to avoid detection ― NPA MD

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3 years ago

Bello-Koko

Rogue vessels that are used to steal crude oil in the Niger Delta turn off their Automation Identification System (AIS) to avoid detection in Nigerian waters, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Koko, has disclosed.

He made the assertion while speaking at the Ministerial Media Briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday.

He had been asked why the Authority was helpless over the recent incident of an oil tanker evading arrest in Nigeria after carting away illegal crude oil.

Koko explained that such ships evade arrest because they switch off their onboard automated tracking system that displays the vessel’s position and others in the vicinity.

Koko said the Authority is now in the process of procuring Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) to enable it to identify, locate and monitor all vessels in the nation’s waters.

The NPA boss the Authority has been trying to acquire the VTS for about 10 years, saying that a certified consultant has now been identified to take up the process as he hoped that it can be procured before the end of the current administration.

He lamented that the pilfering and removal of buoys fitted on shipping channels in eastern ports to aid navigation are negatively affecting maritime safety along the corridors.

According to him, many shipping companies are refusing to use the ports because of the absence of buoys needed to guide their movements in the waters.

Koko said unknown members of communities are responsible for the actions leading to the disappearance of at least 25 this year alone, saying that the NPA has consequently met with various communities to appeal to their leaders to help safeguard the devices.

While explaining that the absence of buoys along the channels can cause vessels to run aground, he said they are hard to procure and deploy as each cost between N12 million and N20 million.

The NPA boss also explained that vandals are attracted to the buoys because some of them have solar panels and sensors and “there is a beacon light there that flashes at night. So the first thing they do is to vandalize that sensor, and then, you just have an iron that has no light, and they can just drag it off without the sensors.

“We can monitor it if it is not disconnected. At times, we send in our boats to go round scouting for it. And to also be fair to the communities, we have had some instances where the buoys were naturally taken away by nature, they went adrift, they ended up on the shore of some communities.

“And to be fair to them, they have actually called us a couple of times to tell us that there’s a buoy that has gone adrift and it is in our community. And we thank them for that.

“We believe probably the communities do not even know the individuals that are involved in these activities. So, we are monitoring the buoys. And that’s how we got to know how many are stolen any day it’s stolen.

“Because the captains are also taking vessels in and out of the water channels, they will naturally know when they can’t find the beacons on the buoys, meaning that something is missing, and they normally report it.”

Despite the challenges, Koko noted that everything is being done to make the ports in the Eastern corridor including Calabar, Port Harcourt, Onne, and Warri, attractive to investors.

He said the Calabar and Onne Ports are now ISO-certified and are seeing a substantial increase in import and export traffic.

While noting that Onne is becoming the fastest-growing port in Nigeria, he said: “In terms of percentage input, Onne has done 11,800 metric tons half of this year. We are seeing that the increase in percentage is high, probably because it’s easier to do business in Onne now.

“And because we have deployed more equipment in Onne, more personnel, we have paid attention to ensure that we made the port more competitive. In terms of export also, there’s an export processing terminal within Onne itself.”

He disclosed that West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) operating in Onne has invested more than $100m in terminal expansion, deployment of equipment and technology.

The NPA MD said the Authority generated N172.28 billion in revenue in the first half of 2022 and has transferred N92.9 billion into Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

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