The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has opposed claims that a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), Skipper, with IMO number 9304667 is Nigerian-owned.
The vessel, arrested by the United States Coast Guard, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, was alleged to be involved in crude oil theft and other transnational crimes.
A statement by NIMASA reads in part that, “NIMASA wishes to put on record that the VLCC SKIPPER is not a Nigerian-flagged vessel, and its purported owners, Thomarose Global Ventures Limited, are not registered with NIMASA as a shipping company.
“An analysis of the vessel’s movement, monitored through the Agency’s Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence (C4i) Centre, shows that the vessel was last sighted in Nigerian waters on 1st July 2024.”
According to NIMASA, after departing Nigerian waters, the vessel continued on its international voyage pattern and was tracked operating in the Arabian Sea (Asia) and later in the Caribbean region, where the U.S. interdiction eventually took place.
It said that “Records indicate that SKIPPER which was formerly owned by Triton Navigation Corp, has undergone multiple name changes over time.”
The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders, including U.S. authorities, in the ongoing investigations. He emphasized that criminality will not be tolerated in Nigerian waters.
