Following the intervention of Global West Vessel Specialist Limited in securing the nation's maritime domain, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has said that the intervention has reduced crude oil theft as much as 70 per cent.
NIMASA's Director General, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi who stated this last week in Lagos also added that the acquisition of 12 armoured patrol boats will further reduce the criminals involved stealing the nation's crude oil.
Following the intervention of Global West Vessel Specialist Limited in securing the nation's maritime domain, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has said that the intervention has reduced crude oil theft as much as 70 per cent.
NIMASA's Director General, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi who stated this last week in Lagos also added that the acquisition of 12 armoured patrol boats will further reduce the criminals involved stealing the nation's crude oil.
Akpobolokemi who disclosed this during the visit of the House of Representative Committee on Marine Transport to NIMASA stated that the agency in collaboration with other agencies have arrested good numbers of criminals with their vessels so much so that NIMASA has decided to keep these arrests away from the media due to the negative effect it has on the country.
He explained that besides the stoppage of the nation's crude oil theft, the agency is also making plans to stop the illegal aspect of legal bunkering noting that if the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) must account for every drop of crude that leaves this country.
“As far I am concerned, that is the one that is very technical and which we are already working on, so that at the end of the day we will be able to tell ourselves the volume of crude that is being exported at any point in time.
“We will get that issue resolved before the end of the year hopefully with the support of every stakeholders involved in the matter”, he stressed.
He blamed the cartel allegedly working within the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) for the current setback that is being experienced in the maritime sector adding that there are some people in the NNPC who do believe that Nigerians do not have to part crude oil lifting business.
“The same way the cartel does not want the local people to benefit is the same reason they are giving, there are people in NNPC that do not feel that it is appropriate for Nigerians to participate in that business and the absence of Nigerians in that business is costly to the country.
“That is why we do not seafarers with the sea time experience because if we had ocean going vessels it means that your citizens will work on board these vessels and you can see man power loss revenue and capital flight, but I am happy that the government is not happy with the current situation in the maritime industry and they doing something to change the situation.
“Ït beats me to think of how we got to this level because I still do not understand what went wrong along the way” he stated
Speaking in similar vein, Managing Director of Global West Vessel Specialist Limited, Captain Romeo Itima stated that although, he could not aggregate the percentage in the reduction of crude oil theft but believes that the activities of oil thieves have significantly reduced.
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