The Commanding Officer, Forward Operating Base, Bonny, Capt. Daupreye Matthews, told newsmen the vessel and its 11 crew members were arrested off the coast of Bonny Island in Rivers.
He said they were arrested while the ship was on routine patrol of the waterways.
“The Lagos registered vessel, MT Divine Favour, was arrested on Feb. 10 because it had no valid document to present for freighting of petroleum products,” the officer said.
Matthews said all the 11 crew members were Nigerians.
“MT Divine Favour, with its 11 crew members, was arrested 11 nautical miles from the Fairway Buoy, Bonny.
“Preliminary investigations conducted by Navy operatives on the claims provided by the 11 crew members showed them to be incoherent, and, as such, point to the members’ involvement in illegal bunkering.
“The crew members will be handed over to the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation and possible prosecution.
“In line with the vision and mission of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, the Navy will not stop until it rids the nation of oil thieves, pipeline vandals and sea pirates.
“Our troops have been strategically deployed on the waterways to stop any illegality capable of sabotaging our economic growth,” he said. (NAN)
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