Vessels used for oil theft always have their Automatic Identification System (AIS), a radio detection device, off in order to avoid being detected by the authorities, it has been revealed.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko, said this yesterday during the weekly Ministerial Briefing organised by the Presidential Communication Team, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He also said this was how the vessel recently arrested with stolen crude oil in the Escravos channel in Delta State, and subsequently destroyed by the Navy, operated despite initial proper documentation.
On why the authority was helpless over the recent incident , Koko explained that such ships evade arrest because they switch off their onboard automated tracking system that displays the vessel’s position and others in the vicinity.
He, however, said the Authority is now in the process of procuring the Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) to enable it to identify, locate and monitor all vessels in the nation’s waters.
He also said that the Authority has been trying to acquire the VTS for about 10 years, adding that a certified consultant has now been identified to take up the process as he hoped that it can be procured before the end of the current administration.
“The intelligent persons bringing in vessels to steal crude, one of the things they do is, they shut down the Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). This is what is needed in terms of transmission for you to even know when the vessel comes in and the location they go to.
“They come in legally, but then they go by the left hand side to commit illegal activities after switching of their AIS. We are going ahead to deploy the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) and to also have information in terms of vessel movement,” he said.
Koko said the VTS “is a system that communicates with the AIS; the AIS is on the vessel and that is the one they switch off to avoid being detected by the VTS. VTS is actually a tracking system that can track any vessel that is coming; the AIS is a tracking device that can communicate with the VTS, but to avoid detection, they switch it off and anytime it comes up, the VTS will still bring all the details of the vessel”.
On whether there is punishment for any vessel that switches off the AIS to perpetrate crime on the sea, he said such vessel, if detected, would be blacklisted by the government.
Addressing the question of the virtual inactive state of most of the eastern ports of the country, Koko blamed the incessant theft of units of the navigational device known as buoys by persons suspected to be members of coastal communities.
Major ports along the eastern waterways are in Calabar, Port Harcourt, Onne, and Warri.
According to him, the absence of buoys put vessels at risk of many hazards, including running aground, explaining that the situation around the Eastern Ports is dissuading foreign shipping lines from venturing to the waters in the area.
He said each of the buoys, which serve as navigational route signs, cost between N12 million and N20 million, whereas no fewer than 25 of these maritime safety equipment have been stolen from Nigerians waters this year alone.
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As part of measures to stop the trend, the NPA boss said the Authority had been engaging with the locals and their leaders in the areas and communities where the theft occur, explaining to them how their local economy is also negatively affected by the incidents.
These buoys stolen by the vandals are often turned into scrap, he stated.
He also explained that in some cases, the communities may not be aware that the vandals operate within their vicinity, adding that in some cases the buoys are affected by nature.
He said some of the buoys “have solar panels and sensors, and there is a beacon light there that flashes at night. So the first thing they do is to vandalise that sensor and then you just have iron that has no light, and they can just drag it, cut off these …that is what they do.
“We can monitor it if it is not disconnected. At times, we send in our boats to go round scouting for it and to also be fair to the communities. We have had some instances where the buoys were naturally taken away by nature, they went adrift and ended up on the shore of some communities.
He said efforts have not been spared to make the eastern maritime corridor viable for investors.
Koko described the Onne Port as the fastest growing port, booming with import and export activities.
According to him, the Calabar and Onne Ports are now ISO-certified and have seen tremendous increase in traffic, not just imports but also exports, with Onne becoming the fastest-growing port in Nigeria today, he said.
“In Onne being the fastest in terms of export also, there is an export processing terminal within Onne itself. One of the terminal operators created an export processing terminals which we licensed and they have all the equipment, the technology and the processes to send it out
“One of the terminal operators also expanded their terminals, they have spent about $100 million dollars in terms of terminal expansion, that is West African Container Terminal. And so they have created more strategic areas, they are able to collect more cargo, and they don’t have space problems actually. And they have newer equipment, they have cranes, they have RTGS, and so on and so forth.
“So probably, if you’re able to send in your cargo and clear it faster naturally, you are likely to go there also.”
Koko further said, “in terms of percentage input, Onne has done 11,800 metric tons half of this year. We are seeing that the increase in percentage is high, probably because it’s easier to do business in Onne now.
“And because we have deployed more equipment in Onne, more personnel, we have paid attention to ensure that we made the port more competitive. In terms of export also, there’s an export processing terminal within Onne itself,” he said.