THE arrest of a vessel for bunkering by the Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) was the high point of activities in the maritime sector this week.

Mrs Lami Tumaka,Head of Public Relations Department in NIMASA, said that the vessel,  MT ORTAKOY, was arrested following a tip-off by the Joint Nigeria-Benin Maritime Patrol Task Force patrol team. She said that preliminary investigation revealed that MT ORTAKOY had Fuel Oil and Automotive Gas Oil onboard.

The agency said that the vessel was not seaworthy as it was trading without valid certificates,among others. The agency warned those engaging in illegal business in the nation’s territorial waters to desist from it. The arrest of MT ORTAKOY brings to four, the number of vessels arrested for operating illegally in Nigerian waters in the last four weeks.