Bayelsa:Navy Intercepts 600,000 Metric Tons Of Crude

The Central Naval
Command, Nigerian Navy, has intercepted a barge and five wooden boats loaded with 600,000 metric tons of illegally refined crude oil.
The Tide gathered that the interception followed an operation by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS), Soroh at Boma Community, Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The 600,000 metric tons of illegally refined crude oil was intercepted in the barge christened, Merchant Vessel (MV) Chuzyi.
The Commander, NNS Soroh, Commodore Habib Usman, confirmed the operation Friday and said the refined products were suspected to be Automated Gas Oil (AGO).
He disclosed that two suspects identified as Chibueze Patrick and Toyin had been arrested in connection with the products.
“The Navy will continue to uphold the tenets of zero tolerance against crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, illegal oil bunkering and other sundry crimes in the Niger Delta region.
“This is in line with the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ekwe Ibas’s strategic directive”, he said.
He explained that the wooden boasts were allegedly used to convey the product from the refining point to the barge for loading.
According to him, as of the time of the arrest, one of the boats had finished trans-loading its products into the barge.
He said, “the personnel of Forward Operating Base FORMOSO, with own gunboats and tugboat, to wed the barge to own jetty for further investigation”, he said, adding that the wooden boats were destroyed.