A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has freed the 26 crew on board the controversial tanker MT Heroic Idun.
Even though details and terms of the settlement are yet to be made public, Shipping Position Daily has confirmed the release.
The release comes after the ship has been detained for almost nine months in Nigeria on charges of attempting to lift oil from an offshore platform, the crew of the VLCC HEROIC IDUN has finally been released.
The series of unfortunate events started on August 8th when the 300,000 dwt tanker arrived at the CNOOC-operated Akpo offshore FPSO. While waiting, the Nigerian Navy vessel Gongola approached the HEROIC IDUN.
Mistaking the Gongola for a pirate vessel, the master of the vessel sent the crew to the citadel and heeded the advice of the war risk insurers and managers, sending the ship 250 miles offshore and reporting the event to the IMB.
Shipping Position Daily had reported exclusively on April 24th that the Federal Government was under intense pressure from certain quarters to release the rogue tanker;
The Nigerian Navy had secured the return of the ship to Nigeria from Equatorial Guinea, where she had escaped to, for prosecution after providing evidence that it unlawfully called at an offshore facility in the nation’s EEZ.
The Navy thereafter moved the tanker from Bioko in Equatorial Guinea, where it was under arrest back to Nigerian waters, where it was moored at the Bonny Offshore Terminal.
Our correspondent had gathered from the Nigerian Navy that there has been a push for out-of-court settlement by the Ambassadors of the various countries of the detained crew members of the ship.
In a recent chat with our correspondent on an update regarding the fate of the detained crew members, the Naval spokesperson; Commodore Adedotun Olukayode Ayo-Vaughan had confirmed that there has been a push for a plea bargaining, but said the process has not yet been firmed-up, this is even as he disclosed that the next court hearing has been fixed for 28th of April 2023.
He said “the case is in court, the last hearing was held on the 11th of April, and it has been adjourned to 28th of April”.
The Navy spokesperson confirmed that, “although there has been a push for plea bargaining and out-of- court settlement, a lot of Ambassadors have tried to make case for them, but it has not yet been firmed- up.
“The charges brought against them border on unlawful entrance into Akpo oil field, raising false piracy alarm to avoid arrest and an attempt to lift crude oil without clearance.
“Recall that the crew is majorly Indian and all of them are facing the charges, so that’s the position as per update on Heroic Idun” he confirmed.
Corroborating the Naval spokesperson, the Director General Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); Dr. Bashir Jamoh had also in a recent chat with our correspondent confirmed that there has been push for an out-of-court settlement, and that the process is yet to be concluded.
“We are in court and the owners came and said we want out of court settlement, but the process is yet to be firmed up. The court adjourned till 28th of this month. We will now come out with a harmonized position to settle the matter” he disclosed.
The charges border on unlawful entrance into Akpo oil field in Nigeria, raising false piracy alarm to avoid arrest and an attempt to lift crude oil without clearance thereby violating sections of the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act 2019.
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