…Its probe stalling 100,000 Barrels daily crude production

By Kingsley Omonobi

Contrary to allegations that an oil vessel, MT Prestigious detained for illegal bunkering offences by a Private Security Firm, Niger Delta Renaissance Network, was released under questionable circumstances, while investigations was ongoing, investigations have revealed the vessel owned by Newcross Exploration and Production Limited is under safe custody of the Nigerian Navy.

Vanguard confirmed that the vessel which was apprehended for allegedly stealing crude oil is under detention and close monitoring of the Navy at its base in Bonny.

Further confirmation, contrary to a petition seen by Vanguard, contained in an update report issued by the vessel owners and sent to the National Security Advisor, the Chief of Defense Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited showed the vessel was under the custody of the Navy.

The owners disclosed that after the visit by Operation Tantita, the IGP Illegal Bunkering Team to MT Prestigious on May 2, 2024, the team allegedly received reports of illegal bunkering activities committed by a vessel with an IMO number matching that of MT Prestigious, the second mother vessel deployed in Bonny to support the Newcross EP barging operations.

A written testimony from Donna Spectre, captain of MT Prestigious who doubles as the representative of the barging vendor, and NewcrossEP representative, confirmed the vessel’s only purpose was to convey crude to Bonny Terminal SBM3.

A request was therefore made to collect cargo samples for fingerprinting which cannot be granted without the written approval of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the presence of an independent laboratory.

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Sources said the presence of officers of the Nigerian Navy aboard the vessels in Bonny makes the allegation that the ship has been released, as unfounded and baseless.

However, owners if the vessel NewcrossEP have called for the urgent intervention of NUPRC on the IGP team to ensure that due process is followed to quickly resolve the matter.

They stated that incident is affecting their operations and impacting the critical role they play in generating value for the nation’s oil and gas sector.

Among others, they said the financial implications of the delay has led to the suspension of more than 100,000 barrels per day in crude oil production.

 It has also led to suspension of gas delivery for domestic and export supply to firms such as NLNG; disruption of terminal operations and lifting programmes due to low stock inventory.

They added that the impact’s mentioned above represent the interest of key stakeholders and operators that rely on the evacuation solution offered by the vessel