The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has declared that, contrary to earlier media reports, the controversial crude oil carrier; MT SKIPPER that was intercepted by the United States of America does not fly Nigeria flag.
The United States Coast Guard, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, intercepted a Very Large Crude Carrier; SKIPPER with IMO Number 9304667.
The ship was alleged to be Nigerian-flagged and involved in crude oil theft and other transnational crimes.
But, in a statement issued on Friday, the agency clarified that, NIMASA has no dealing with the ill-fated vessel.
It said: “NIMASA wishes to put on record that the VLCC SKIPPER is not a Nigerian-flagged vessel, and its purported owners, Thomarose Global Ventures Limited, are not registered with NIMASA as a shipping company”.
According to NIMASA, “an analysis of the vessel’s movement, monitored through the Agency’s Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence (C4i) Centre, shows that the vessel was last sighted in Nigerian waters on 1st July 2024”.
Giving more details, it added that: “After departing Nigerian waters, the vessel continued on its international voyage pattern and was tracked operating in the Arabian Sea (Asia) and later in the Caribbean region, where the U.S. interdiction eventually took place.
Records indicate that SKIPPER which was formerly owned by Triton Navigation Corp, has undergone multiple name changes over time”.
The statement which was signed by NIMASA’s Head of Public Relations’ Mr Osagie Edward, added that, Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders, including U.S. authorities, in the ongoing investigations. He emphasized that criminality will not be tolerated in Nigerian waters.
