.2m Barrels Of Crude Lost To Thieves Daily – NIMASA

The Nigerian Maritime Ad
ministration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) says no less than 200,000 barrels of crude oil are lost to oil theft daily in Nigeria.
The Director, Shipping Development Department of NIMASA, Mr Warredi Enisuoh, stated this at a news conference last Wednesday in Lagos.
Enisuoh described the rate of oil theft in the country as disturbing and attributed it to the nation’s inability to track ships “in real time” in Niger Delta.
He said that lack of equipment and technology required in checking the menace had aided the trend.
“Unusual poor wage paid to seafarers, socio-economic problem in each region and the lack of will to tackle the problem had contributed to it,’’ he added.
He, however, said that the agency had installed a satellite surveillance system to check the menace.
According to the director, the new 24-hour satellite surveillance equipment has the capability to detect boats, ship and objects floating on water.
“Its abilities include but are not limited to setting range rings in restricted areas, which when penetrated by an intruder, triggers an alarm thereby alerting the operator,” he said.
He disclosed that the instrument could also be used to identify ship positions in real time, adding that it would enhance search and rescue patterns.
He said that the equipment would help in plotting search and rescue patterns and in detecting vessels that switched off their Automatic Identification System (AIS).
Enisuoh also said that NIMASA had upgraded its Global Maritime Distress System (GMDSS) in Lagos, Bonny in Rivers and Oron in Akwa Ibom.
He added that the radar installed in Escravos, Bonny and Takwa Bay in Lagos would complement the satellite facility “and boost the domain awareness response capability when fully operational”.
He said that NIMASA would ensure that ship owners complied with International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code to ensure safety standards.