NIMASA shut down rumors that Nigeria had anything to do with the VLCC SKIPPER after the US Coast Guard grabbed the tanker over oil theft accusations. Agency spokesman Edward Osagie said the ship never flew a Nigerian flag, and the supposed owners at Thomarose Global Ventures Limited have zero paperwork on file with maritime authorities.
The vessel bailed from Nigerian waters back in July and spent months bouncing around the Arabian Sea before US forces intercepted it somewhere in the Caribbean. NIMASA tracked the whole journey through their C4i surveillance setup and found out the 20-year-old crude carrier changed names multiple times after Triton Navigation Corp originally owned it.
Director General Dayo Mobereola said his agency is working with American investigators to sort out the mess, and he made it clear that shady operations will not get a pass in territorial waters.
The vessel bailed from Nigerian waters back in July and spent months bouncing around the Arabian Sea before US forces intercepted it somewhere in the Caribbean. NIMASA tracked the whole journey through their C4i surveillance setup and found out the 20-year-old crude carrier changed names multiple times after Triton Navigation Corp originally owned it.
Director General Dayo Mobereola said his agency is working with American investigators to sort out the mess, and he made it clear that shady operations will not get a pass in territorial waters.
