By Ono Yima
The Nigerian Navy has apprehended over 35 ships involved in oil theft in the nation’s waters, according to Chief of Naval Staff, Emmanuel Ogalla. Ogalla confirmed this at a meeting with maritime stakeholders in Abuja, stating that the arrested vessels were handed over to prosecuting authorities.
The navy has established Operation Delta Sanity to address maritime security challenges, including oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and piracy. Ogalla assured stakeholders of the navy’s commitment to supporting legitimate businesses and promoting ease of doing business.
“We quickly carry out preliminary investigations and release vessels arrested based on wrong information to avoid impeding businesses,” Ogalla said. “Our goal is to support operators by giving them assurance and confidence that they are protected from criminal elements.”
The meeting aimed to discuss critical issues in maritime and energy security, including the development of Nigeria’s Blue Economy. Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director of NNPCL, commended the navy’s efforts, stating that crude production had increased to 1.6 million barrels daily and was expected to reach 2 million bpd by year-end.
“They have been giving us a lot of support and we’re having a reduction in oil theft and the pipeline vandalism has also decreased significantly and a lot presently going on in the industry. “We hope that we will sustain this and we will be able to achieve our target of 2 million barrels per day toward the end of the year,” he said.