Destroying Seized Oil Tankers Unacceptable Environmental Pollution – HoMEF

Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF ) has described as unacceptable the continous destruction of seized oil tankers by the Nigerian military.
The foundation said this in a press conference made available to news men in Port Harcourt.
It  also described oil theft as an organised crime
“Oil theft in Nigeria, is an organised crime and a huge industry with local and international collaborators involved in the illegal deal.
“It has historical roots which has taken different dimensions and is manifesting in several forms, some of which had been covered until recently.
With the recent destruction of a vessel containing stolen crude oil, it is rather shocking to note that the continuous cry of pollution made by Nigerians have evaded the attention of the leadership of the Joint Task Force of the Nigerian Military and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited”.
“In a statement by Nigerian National Petroleum Company spokesman, Garba Muhammad, “further investigation into the activities of the vessel revealed that the vessel has been operating in stealth mode for the last 12 years with the last reported location of the Vessel being in Tin Can Port in July 2011.
“It was reported that there was no valid documentation for the vessel or the crude oil cargo on-board at the time of the arrest.
“Just recently, the tanker, identified as the Tura II (ex-name Ali Riza Bey, IMO 6620462), was captured in an offshore location with stolen crude oil and after the vessel was seized and the crew detained, the vessel was destroyed by a Nigerian military helicopter.
The release signed by KOMO news the organization Director of press said “Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has raised concerns over the disregard for the environment and human lives considering the manner the vessel was destroyed with no attempt to comply with international best practice.
It added that the e incident also confirmed the fact that Nigeria does not know the amount of crude oil that leaves the shores of the country on a daily basis.
“After setting the rogue vessel ablaze, the Joint Task Force stated that the destruction of the vessel would send a warning signal to those involved in oil theft and incentivise them to desist from it.
“HOMEF believes the significance of the bombing of the vessel is the indication to the people that authorities care little about their safety and that of the environment”.
The release noted that the Executive Director of HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, in his reaction to the incident noted that while the Niger Delta burns on account of gas flaring, oil spills and other forms of pollution, the burning of seized oil vessel is adding insult to injury.