After an intense search that reportedly revealed no incriminating cargo on board, the Navy over the weekend released MV Eurocargo Salerno which it had earlier detained on allegation of bringing in toxic wastes into Nigeria through the Tin Can Island port.
The ship had docked at PTML where naval officials reportedly conducted a thorough search on the ship which came in with vehilcles.
However our correspondent learnt that the ship was left off the hook after naval officers allegedly grilled her female captain.
After an intense search that reportedly revealed no incriminating cargo on board, the Navy over the weekend released MV Eurocargo Salerno which it had earlier detained on allegation of bringing in toxic wastes into Nigeria through the Tin Can Island port.
The ship had docked at PTML where naval officials reportedly conducted a thorough search on the ship which came in with vehilcles.
However our correspondent learnt that the ship was left off the hook after naval officers allegedly grilled her female captain.
Shipping Position Daily gathered that men from the Nigerian Navy also stopped dockworkers from working on the ship while the search lasted and that the captain of the ship was arrested and taken away on Wednesday but later regained freedom on Friday night at about 11:02pm.
Sources told our correspondent that problem started for the on account of her previous voyage to Nigeria, when she was suspected to have sailed in with some unidentified questionable cargo but the Navy was unable to apprehend her before leaving.
Our source confirmed further that: “it was a comprehensive search on board by the Navy and the captain spent two days with them before being released."
"They are in large number and there was a thorough search by them day and night for the few days they spent on board the vessel” the source added.
Shipping Position Daily gathered that the ill-fated ship left the Angola on the 16th of June before proceeding to Lagos and eventually anchored on the 19th at about 11.03am.
According to our source, on sighting the vessel of the nation's territorial waters, the Naval officers traced it to PTML and took over its control before carrying out a thorough search on the ship for possible contraband, but reportedly, could not find anything.
The Eurocargo Salerno is one of the vessels belonging to Grimaldi Line and calls at the Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) of Tin Can Island port in Lagos with both new or fairly used vehicles as well as containers.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the Nigerian Navy had impounded the vessel on suspicion that it was carrying toxic waste on Lagos waters.
The Commander of NNS Beecroft, Naval Base Apapa, Commodore Chris Ezekobe, said this last week when he briefed newsmen in Lagos.
Ezeobe said that three crew members, including the Captain had been detained by the Navy, noting that other crew members were under close watch at Tin-Can, Island, Lagos.
Ezekobe had alleged that the vessel came into Nigeria from Belgium carrying used refrigerators hidden in three trucks.
He said that the Nigerian Navy was alerted on the arrival of the vessel from intelligence report from the National Environmental Standard and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
“Based on the information, the Nigerian Navy posted its personnel to be on the lookout for the ship," he said.
He said that vessel was sighted in Nigerian waters last Wednesday and was immediately arrested.
Ezekobe said the vessel would be handed over to Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for further investigation.
He had told newsmen that NIMASA and other relevant government agencies would search the vessel to determine its actual content.
Similarly, the Lagos State Coordinator of NESREA; Eunice Eze had said that the agency received alert from one of its international collaborators that the seized ship was carrying toxic waste.
She said that the importers were aware that the Federal Government banned the importation of used electrical and electronic products into the country.
“Nigeria cannot be used as dumping ground for malfunctioning electronics.
“What some importers do is to import these items, remove the parts they want and set the remaining on fire.
“The smoke emitted is not only toxic, but has been found to be the cause of cancer and
other lung-related diseases,’’ she had said.
But the spokesman of the Western Naval Command of the Navy; Lieutenant Jerry Omodara told our correspondent that the Navy has already handed the ship over to NESREA and NIMASA, saying that the Navy no longer had anything to do with it.
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