Ebenezer Adurokiya – Warri
Operatives of the Nigerian Navy (NN) have arrested a merchant tanker vessel, MT Sea Eunice, for an alleged violation of the regulations of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety (NIMASA).
Base Operations Officer (BOO), Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS), Delta, Commander Samuel Musa, made the disclosure on Wednesday at Escravos Onshore in Delta State while handing over the seized vessel to NIMASA.
The Navy Commander said that the vessel was arrested by the FOB Escravos of the Nigerian Navy, NNS Delta, on 11th August, 2022, while the crew “continuously and consistently engaged in switching on and off their automatic identification system which is a violation of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulations which, back home in Nigeria, the NIMA oversees.”
According to him, “consequently, after the completion of the preliminary investigations, the Nigerian Navy, under the watch of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Subair Gambo, directed the Flag Officer Commanding Central Naval Command to hand over the vessel to NIMASA through the Commander, NNS Delta.”
Musa noted that “the essence of the handover is a testament to the Nigerian Navy’s position in continuous policing of Nigerian maritime domain and the synergy and collaboration with other Maritime stakeholders.”
Meanwhile, speaking during the take-over of the arrested ship from the Nigerian Navy, the District Surveyor of NIMASA, Central Zone, Mr Oyadiran Joshua Oyeniyi, who represented the Zonal Coordinator, said that NIMASA would scrutinize the naval report on the seized ship and sanction the owners, appropriately, if infractions were actually detected.
“Having taken over the vessel from the Nigerian Navy, we have to inspect the ship, look at the report of the Nigerian Navy about the ship.
“We have to carry out our own inspection. And if we find out any infraction, we’ll sanction the vessel owners.
“It’s only after then that we can release the ship to the owners,” Mr Oyadiran concluded.
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