The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, has said that the embattled Very Large Crude Carrier VLCC SKIPPER, involved in crude oil theft and currently detained in the United of America is not a Nigerian flagged vessel.

According to a statement by the Deputy Director/Head, Public Relations of the Agency, Osagie Edward, the embattled vessel is neither Nigerian flagged not its owners are not registered with NIMASA.

“The attention of the Management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA has been drawn to media reports stating that the United States Coast Guard, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, intercepted a Very Large Crude Carrier VLCC SKIPPER with IMO Number 9304667, alleged to be Nigerian-owned and involved in crude oil theft and other transnational crimes.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“Records indicate that SKIPPER which was formerly owned by Triton Navigation Corp, has undergone multiple name changes over time”, the statement read in part.

The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, therefore reaffirms the Agency’s commitment to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders, including U.S. authorities, in the ongoing investigations.

He further emphasised that criminality will not be tolerated on Nigerian waters.