The Nigerian Navy has apprehended more than 35 ships involved in oil theft within the nation’s waters, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla has said.
Speaking at a Maritime Stakeholders meeting earlier today (Tuesday, July 30) in Abuja, the FCT, he emphasized the Navy’s commitment to enhancing maritime security, Ogalla reported that the apprehended vessels had been handed over to the appropriate prosecuting authorities.
He highlighted the Navy’s efforts to bolster its operations through the establishment of Operation Delta Sanity in January, focusing on surveillance, response capability, and law enforcement in collaboration with various maritime stakeholders, assuring stakeholders of the Navy’s dedication to fulfilling its statutory roles.
“We are committed to creating a conducive maritime environment for the economic prosperity of the nation,” the CNS reassured, stressing that the Navy’s operations aim to support maritime operators without hindering their activities, ensuring swift preliminary investigations and the release of vessels when arrests are based on incorrect information.
“Provision of security is part of promoting the ease of doing business because if there is no security, the operators cannot operate,” Ogalla explained. “We ensure our arrests and detentions do not impede legitimate business operations.”
The meeting brought together industry regulators, maritime law enforcement, and industry players to discuss critical maritime and energy security issues.
Ogalla noted that the development of Nigeria’s oil sector over recent decades has faced complex security challenges, including violent agitations, oil theft, pipeline vandalism, piracy, and sea robbery, driven by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, communal clashes, poverty, and unemployment.
According to the CNS, the need for innovative approaches to address these security challenges, particularly those arising from the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act, cannot, therefore, be over-emphasized.
He called for the support of all stakeholders to enable Nigeria to develop its Blue Economy, thereby aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s goal of enhancing the ease of doing business within the maritime and oil and gas sectors.
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, represented by the Managing Director of Pipeline NNPCL, Mr. Folorunsho Karim, announced that the country now records 1.6 million barrels of crude oil production daily, expressing confidence that with continued support from the Navy and other stakeholders, crude production would reach the targeted 2 million barrels per day by the end of the year.
“The Navy has been providing substantial support, leading to a reduction in oil theft and pipeline vandalism,” Kyari said. “We hope to sustain these efforts to achieve our production targets.”
