The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has detained a vessel ‘MT BEE’ carrying 17,000 tonnes of petroleum products without any valid cargo document.

Mrs Lami Tumaka, the Head of Public Relations in NIMASA, disclosed this in a statement in Lagos. The statement said that the Agency suspected “foul play” when the captain and crew declined to give access to NIMASA officials  for routine Flag State Control check.

It said that the development led the NIMASA team to call for reinforcement from the Maritime Guard Command before it gained access to the vessel. “When NIMASA officials boarded the vessel, it was discovered that the vessel was carrying 17,000 tonnes of different mixture of petroleum products without any form of documentation for the cargo. It was also discovered that the original name of the vessel was ‘MT BEAVER’, which was different from the current name ‘MT BEE’.