The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Navy

  • NIMASA acquires equipment to fight oil theft, piracy

    NIMASA acquires equipment to fight oil theft, piracy

    • Air Force, Navy join battle

    The game is up for oil thieves and pirates operating on the nation’s territorial waters. The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has acquired a surveillance equipment for monitoring illegal activities on the maritime corridor.

    NIMASA will operate the equipment in collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Navy. They are collaborating to curb oil theft, piracy and other criminalities, The Nation has learnt.

    More than 5,000 international ships ply the territorial waters  yearly. Some of the vessels, sources said, violate international laws by engaging in illegal activities.

    The Airf Force has acquired three maritime 128-6, F27 and ATR-42-500 jets and other planes to monitor the activities of oil thieves and other criminals.

    The high-tech plane ATR-42-500 jet is one of the seven to be operated by NIMASA and the Air Force.

    According to Air Force Sergeant Sunday Olalekan Omotosho, the plane is fitted with sensors, radar and Electro-Optic Surveillance and Tracking (EOST) equipment, which houses three cameras to monitor ships in Nigerian waters. “When fully operational, no vessel can escape our coverage,” he told reporters before a demonstration flight from Lagos to Escravos in the Niger Delta and over offshore platforms in the oil-producing Southeast.

    The 20-seat plane can fly as low as 200 feet (60 metres) above the sea and passes on information about maritime traffic to the navy, who can intervene with fast-attack craft if necessary, he added.

    “Our aim is to fight all manner of maritime crimes in the country. With this aircraft, we can spot any vessel hundreds of kilometres (miles) away,” said Group Captain Enobong Eneh Effiom.

    The aircraft is inscribed with the words: “Vigilance over the ocean.”

    NIMASA’s Director, Shipping Development, Captain Warred Enisuoh, who led the NIMASA team during an air tour, explained that the cameras installed in the planes function well at night based on their high powered lights.

    He said the nation loses 200,000 barrels of crude oil to stealing daily.

    “For any sustainable and meaningful growth in the maritime sector, a robust maritime domain awareness system is inevitable. NIMASA has, therefore, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force to enhance water patrol and aerial surveillance of Nigeria’s maritime domain.

    “Our collaboration with the Air force will assist NIMASA in tackling the challenges of large and unrestricted navigational areas, small and non-cooperative objects taking advantage of the dense maritime activity to conceal their actions and it would also protect the ports and ships against attacks,” Enisuoh said.

    He said the agency is striving to ensure that the government and security agencies have access to accurate, comprehensive and up-to-the-minute situation data of the vessel traffic at sea.

    The jets, it was learnt, were built in France and equipped in Italy with radars, cameras and other security gargets.

    It was gathered that the Navy  has also acquired an equipment called Regional Maritime Awareness Capability Centre (RMAC) to aid the fight against oil theft.

    The equipment, findings showed, was imported from Japan for about N2 billion. It has high-frequency radio and long-range cameras, capable of spotting ships up to 48 kilometres away on the water.

    “From the domain awareness centre, we can see ships from anywhere in the world coming or leaving our maritime space. It also gives us the ability to ascertain the actual threat the vessel poses,” the official said.

    The idea for the tripartite collaboration, a source said, started about two years ago when the Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, spoke of a faster maritime safety and security network.

    It was learnt that NIMASA sought the help of the Air Force when it discovered that the war against pirates was complicated.

    With the equipment in the planes, NIMASA can monitor even the “unusual movement of vessels” at sea and keep their records, the source said, adding that Air Force officers on board will help in NIMASA’s maritime safety operations, including search-and-rescue (SAR) mission and environmental protection.

    The jets, it was learnt, draw on the latest technology to provide a reliable, round-the-clock monitoring.

  • Navy hands over 20 suspects to EFCC

    The Nigerian Navy has handed over 20 suspected  crude oil thieves  to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The hand over held at the command’s Forward Operating Base, Formoso, Brass, Bayelsa State.

    Commanding Officer, FOB Formoso, Capt. Noel Madugu, said the suspects were arrested at Sangana River in Brass Local Government Area of the state.

    He said the suspects comprising 18 Nigerians, one Camerounian and one Ghanaian were on board the vessel MV ELMINA.

    He said during the arrest, the captain of the ship could not provide the relevant documents  to lift crude oil.

    Madugu said the suspects said they were loading Automated Gas Oil (diesel), but when the products were tested, it was discovered to be crude oil.

    Before the hand  over, he said  the culprits were arrested about 1.30am on August 7.

    “About 1.30am, August 7, 2014, MV ELMINA was intercepted coming out of the creeks of Sangana River entrance in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

    “The vessel and her crew were intercepted by NNS BOMADI while on routine patrol of the area.

    “Upon arrest, the actions of the crew during interrogation indicated that they had carried out the dubious activity as they refused initially to answer their radio until several warning shots,” he said.

  • Bayelsa sets up Ebola taskforce as Navy begins sensitisation

    Bayelsa sets up Ebola taskforce as Navy begins sensitisation

    Bayelsa state government at the weekend established a 13-man taskforce to map out strategies of preventing the spread of the Ebola virus.

    The development came shortly after the Central Naval Command (CNC) of the Nigerian Navy began to sensitise its officers and ratings in the state about the deadly Ebola virus and measures that must be taken to prevent its spread.

    The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), CNC, Rear Admiral Peter Agba, at the seminar organised by the CNC in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state capital, harped on personal hygiene.

    Agba said: “We cannot run away from our family members, but what we can help them do is to help bring them to healthcare centres.”

    He advised the officers and ratings to take preventive measures to protect themselves from the virus, insisting that “prevention is better than cure.”

    He further cautioned against reckless consumption of food items since according to him some of the items had been reported to be hosting the virus.

    “For example, eating of monkeys, bush meat, exchange of kisses among loved ones and so many other situations should be done with care,” he said.

    He said the seminar was put together to enlighten officers and ratings of the navy.

    Also, Dr. Esther Boyinbode, in her brief presentation, spoke on the practical ways of preventing the Ebola spread.

    She said the virus was not airborne as being speculated in some quarters but could only be transmitted through body fluids.

    According to him, the incubation period of the virus was between two and 21 days.

    “The general symptoms of this virus is like every other feverish diseases which may include weakness of the joint, constant headache,” she said.

    On the Ebola Task Force, the Bayelsa State Government said it was part of its elaborate preparations to tackle any outbreak of the dreaded virus in the state.

    In a statement after the state executive council meeting in Yenagoa, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ayibatonye Owei, said that, the task force would map out strategies and liaise with other notable local, national and international health institutions to confront any cases of the virus.

    Owei was named the chairman of the task force while Dr. Biribina Samayin was nominated as the secretary.

    Other members of the committee are Dr. Wakiente Ombu, Dr. Douye Aganaba, Dr Taribara Sigah Ekere, Dr Oyeyemi Abisoye and Mrs. Kenisuomein Walson.

    Others are Dr. Israel Jeremiah, Biobelemoye Joy Josiah, Mrs Monica Azazi Olarinde, Dr. Zuobeni Agade and Mrs. Shakirat Azazi.

    The commissioner said the government was arranging training programmes for all health personnel in health institutions across the state.

    He said health workers were mostly at the risk of contracting the virus.

    He said health personnel would be trained in collaboration with the state ministry of health, World Health Organisation (WHO), Federal Ministry of Health and the centre for disease control.

    He stated that, the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa and the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital had been designated as centres to handle patients in case of an outbreak of the disease in the state.

    Owei said provisions had been made for protective equipment for health personnel while sensitisation programmes to enlighten the public had started on radio, television and newspapers.

    He said designated phone lines had been put in place to enable people call and report suspected cases of Ebola.

    The health commissioner advised members of the public to be very cautious and take their personal hygiene seriously by washing their hands regularly.

     

  • Ugborodo crisis: Navy threatens to use force

    •’If they want peace, they should honour community’s tradition’ 

    The Ugborodo crisis seems to be deepening.

    The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, has threatened to wield the big stick against the recalcitrant side in the crisis over the implementation of the signed peace agreement.

    The crisis recently worsened, resulting in the destruction of houses and cars worth millions of naira in Ugborodo and Warri.

    The arson followed the refusal of members of the Aruton quarters in Ugborodo to allow the Navy, led by the Commanding Officer of NNS Delta, Navy Captain Musa Gemu, resettle members of the community allegedly displaced. They said the people, whom the community had accused of leading the invasion of Aruton, should atone for the sacrilege.

    At a meeting organised by the Navy at the Warri naval base at the weekend, Captain Gemu warned those working against the implementation of the peace agreement, especially the resettlement of displaced persons, not to test the will of the force.

    He gave them a week to sort out the reabsorbing, after which the Navy might step in to enforce the term.

    Speaking with The Nation in Warri in a meeting, the leader of one of the warring factions, Mr. David Tonwe, said nobody would force the community to reabsorb the displaced people, until they fulfilled the rites required of them by the Ugborodo tradition, for the atonement of the sacrilege they allegedly committed against the community.

    At the meeting, attended by stakeholders, including the Olaja-Orori (Spiritual Head), Benson Omadeli and Chief Ayiri Emami of the Thomas Ereyitomi  faction, boycotted by Tonwe, Gemu said: “I’m sounding it clearly to the elders, leaders and youths. This is your last chance. You have one week to go home, meet and agree to allow the displaced persons return.

    “This is not my personal decision. It is part of the peace accord leaders on both sides signed with the Federal Government in Abuja. I want to receive a positive feedback at the end of the week. After then we will not tolerate lawlessness. It is not the desire of the government to apply force. But we would have no other option if you fail to respect peace.”

    Tonwe warned that an attempt to coerce the community against the dictates of its custom in the matter of reabsorbing would not work well, noting that it was a community matter, which had a long list of precedents.

    He said peace would not be achieved by the use of force, adding that the concerned authorities should rather ensure that the right things were done, as the people would not succumb to intimidation.

    Said Tonwe: “Other people went through the same process before. The Olaja-Orori went through it, the Eghara-Aja went through it. Nobody is above the law. You are dealing with military people and they don’t care about whatever you say. What they are saying is that we want peace and let me tell you, that is where we have problem in this country. The process of achieving peace is not by force, it’s by entering into a dialogue, it’s by negotiation, it’s by discussing.

    “At the meeting at the naval base, an elderly man, Abeokutan Anderson, told the naval chief that ‘these people have committed a crime, which is a sacrilege and they need to go and appease the gods of Ugborodo community’. They shouted him down, saying the issue was not for there. You cannot use force, except you want to kill everybody. You are now trying to use force, imposing people so that they can forget about their culture and tradition.

    “If they want peace, let them follow that process. We don’t even need a naval man to take them back to the community, we don’t need any force to bring them to the community. If the community resolves that because you don’t want to do this you will be out of the community for three years. It is our own custom and tradition.”

    Expressing concern about the absence of Tonwe at the meeting held at the weekend at the Warri naval base, Chief Emami said: “There is no one not aware that each faction has its stronghold in Ugborodo. We are aware that Aruton and Magangho, where the violent youths are preventing Navy from resettling displaced persons, are not our strongholds. So when those who these youths are loyal to continuously stay away from meetings like this, it tells where the problem lies.”

    The Olaja-Orori said: “I feel some leaders have shielded the Federal Government’s peace agreement from the youths in Aruton and Madangho. My view is that copies of the resolutions be made available to everybody, so that we all, particularly the youths, know when we are violating the orders already signed by the leaders.”Gemu, while expressing disappointment about the absence of Tonwe, urged the Olaja-Orori to take responsibility for passing the decisions reached at the meeting to Tonwe.

    “He was informed of the meeting and was supposed to be here. Tell him that the decisions are binding.”

    Elders and youths from Aruton, Madangho, Ogidigben and Ajudaibo were in attendance. The meeting was also attended by Austin Oborogbeyi, the Chairman, EPZ Interface Committee. Gemu was joined by the Police, Army and the Air Force Command in Warri.

  • Navy arrests 11 Indians, three Ghanaians, two Nigerians

    Navy arrests 11 Indians, three Ghanaians, two Nigerians

    The Central Naval Command (CNC) of the Nigerian Navy is investigating the involvement of 11 Indians, three Ghanaians and two Nigerians in offences bordering on oil theft.

    The suspects were said to have been apprehended by the operatives of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Formoso, Egwema, Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

    The arrested Nigerians are reportedly the collaborators of the foreigners.

    It was learnt that they were arrested when attempting to lift substances suspected to be crude oil from an offshore loading terminal in Brass.

    The Nation gathered that the vessels to be used to carry out the illicit business came from Ghana.

    The Commanding Officer, FOB, Formoso, Capt. Noel Madugu, confirmed the arrests.

    He said the suspects had no permit to enter Nigerian waters and lift oil.

    Madugu said the suspects were preparing to siphon the product when they were apprehended.

    He said: “Our operatives arrested 11 Indians, three Ghanaians and two Nigerians as they were waiting for vessels from the creeks.

    “At the time of arrest, they could not provide permits authorising them to load from Agbara platform of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company’s terminal in Brass. Their vessels came from Ghana.”

    The commander said the suspects would be handed over to the relevant prosecuting agency after preliminary investigation.

    Noting that oil criminals had no hiding place in the waterways, Madugu urged those involved in the illicit activities to desist.

  • Navy: foreigners behind most crimes on Nigerian waters

    Navy: foreigners behind most crimes on Nigerian waters

    •European naval vessel impounded

    The Navy has said piracy, oil theft and other sea crimes committed in the nation’s maritime domain are mostly perpetuated by foreigners.

    The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command (WNC), Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade, spoke yesterday on the involvement of foreigners in high seas crimes at the command’s headquarters in Lagos when he hosted crew members of a visiting British ship, HMS Iron Duke.

    Alade, who said the navy was poised to take full control of the nation’s waterways by ridding them of private security and criminals, added that the waterways should not be a private affair.

    He said: “Given the occurrences on our waters, the navy is now set to take complete ownership. A lot of people and nations have interest in our waters for obvious reasons. With the decline in piracy in the Gulf of Eden, it would not be wrong to say that most of the elements have left that area and found their way in the Gulf of Guinea, including our waters.

    “Some foreigners have been arrested in our waters for perpetrating illegalities. Most criminality in our waters is carried out by foreigners and not Nigerians.

    “The era when the navy had challenges of platforms will soon be over because we will take delivery of some ships before the end of the year and command our waterways. We will take full command once again and there will be no need for private security here and there because our water is not private.

    “We have some private security companies registered with the Nigerian Navy. They have a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with us, like Ocean Marine Company. We allow them to operate with their vessels. But normally, we attach our personnel to such vessels.”

    On the allegation that multi-national oil companies steal crude in Nigeria’s maritime area, Alade said oil theft was not being treated with kid gloves.

    According to him, anyone arrested is appropriately dealt with.

    Alade said: “Piracy and illegality on the seas are not beyond us. The responsibility of ensuring the security of the Nigerian maritime domain is that of the Nigerian Navy. We are poised to take total control of the Nigerian waters and rid it of any form of illegalities.”

    The Commanding Officer, HMS Iron Duke, Commander Tom Tredery said the ship came to Nigeria to work and train with the Nigerian Navy.

    He said: “We are looking forward to training and exercising together. The role of the navy is to work together and ensure that that freedom and safety are in place. Our range of training includes navigation, engineering, damage control and fire fighting, boarding party and security operations…”

  • Navy, NPA, others unveil plan to free Apapa road

    Navy, NPA, others unveil plan to free Apapa road

    STAKEHOLDERS  have suggested the way out of the perennial gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.

    They called for a routing system for containerised and petrol tankers and the optimal utilisation of the holding bay in  Apapa Ports to address the problem.

    They took the decision at an enlarged meeting held in the boardroom of NNS Beecrooft at the Navy Yard in Apapa, Lagos.

    At the end of five-hour session, the chairman and convener of the meeting, NNS Beecrooft Commander, Commodore Ovenseri Emmanuel Uwadiae said light is at the end of the tunnel, if decisions are enforced.

    According to him, the stakeholders are determined to complement the efforts of Julius Berger Plc, which the Federal Controller of Works confirmed, has resumed work on the Apapa Road.

    Uwadiae, who describe the meeting as successful and exhaustive, said the gridlock  was unacceptable given the centrality of the area to the economy and home to the busiest port in the country.

    He said representatives of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), the Federal Controller of Works, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Road Transport Employers Association (RTEAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the Police, and the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), among others, agreed that freeing the area would be good for business.

    He said while LASTMA has been charged with ensuring an effective routing system, NPA will handle the optimisation of the holding bay at the ports which seem to be operating below capacity.

    Other decisions reached, he said, were  the need for the NPA to direct concessionaires at the ports to increase their capacities to prevent   congestion, and the allocation of a column of the road for any truck intending to load or offload at the ports and the tank farms. Uwadiae added that any truck found outside the approved column would be towed.

    The fifth resolution was for tanker and truck unions to stop the collection dues at the ports’ general areas, which, according to Uwadiae, have been discovered to be a major cause of delays and gridlock.

    Uwadiae said the stakeholders were happy to get on with their respective assignments which he assured would lead to the reduction in travel time within Apapa. He said the meeting, a continuous exercise, would hold again  in a  fortnight to access the extent of compliance by all concerned.

    Responding on behalf of other stakeholders, LASTMA’s General Manager Mr. Babatunde Edu said while the stakeholders would adhere strictly to the decisions reached at the meeting, LATMA would continue to do all within its powers to ensure the free flow of  traffic in and around Apapa and the tank farms.

    “We would work more on the areas discovered at this meeting for the purpose of ensuring that things work as planned. Traffic is a work in progress and we are determined to ensure a reduction in travel time from what presently obtains. We are happy that Julius Berger has expressed its readiness to come and repair the road, we shall work with them to manage the traffic along with their scheduled plan of action. Once this is done, we will not have any gridlock,” Edu said.

  • Oil theft: Navy hands over ship, suspects to Interpol

    The Nigeria Navy Ship (NNS) Delta on Thursday handed over a vessel – MV Gare and its crew, all suspected to have been involved in oil theft to the Interpol for further investigation.

    The NNS Delta had on March 26 arrested three crew members for stealing petroleum products from a bigger vessel – MV Karela on the coast of Angola, using MV Gare to hijack the bigger one.

    However, the arrested seamen have challenged their arrest and detention by the navy, suing the nation’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, the Chief of Naval Staff and Commanding Officer of the NNS Delta, to the tune of N100 million.

    Speaking at the handing over exercise, the Commanding Officer of the NNS Delta, Navy Captain Musa Gemu, said the accused persons were involved in a matter that was beyond his control, hence the need to hand both the crew and the ship over to the Interpol.

    “The ship was used to hijack a very bigger ship, MV Karela to siphon about 75 metric tons of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) from the ship about 200 nautical miles off the coast of Angola.

    “MV Karela was carrying products worth $10 million. We saw MV Gare in Nigeria’s waters, precisely in my area of responsibility. We arrested her, did some investigations and found pointers to involvement. But because there is a limit we can go with our investigation, I am today handing the ship and suspects to the police for further investigations,” Gemu explained.

    Interpol Officer, Soji Idowu, while taking custody of the suspects said, “I cannot make any comments now. We just came into the picture. I am barely aware of the details. We have to go back and do our own investigations before we can offer a position.”

     

     

  • Navy to boost security on waters 

    Nigerian Navy has promised to sustain security patrol on Calabar-Akwa Ibom waterways to prevent piracy and oil theft.

    Speaking during the Nigerian Navy fleet review evacuation exercise in Calabar, the Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Adm. Obiora Medani, said there was an improvement by his men in providing security on Calabar-Akwa Ibom waterways.

    “The present Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Usman Jibrin, has said that oil theft would no longer be business as usual.

    “This is because he has put in a lot of resources in place to ensure that our water ways are free from criminals.

    “The Chief of Naval Staff leadership has brought a lot of changes; and that is why you can see that everywhere is calm and peaceful,’’ he said.

    He described the exercise as a success, saying that there was no breakdown of any ship during the process.

    “The exercise has gone very well, 10 ships and two helicopters participated, and we don’t have any breakdown.

    “The gun-ray exercise, anti-piracy operation and helicopter operation, among others, have gone very well,’’ he said.

    He assured stakeholders in the  maritime sector that the Navy would continue to provide adequate security for ships coming and going out of the country.

  • Navy rescues 12 stowaways onboard Spain-bound vessel

    Nigerian Navy personnel have rescued 12 men including a Ghanaian, who stowed away in a Spain bound chemical laden vessel, MV African Osprey.

    The suspects, who were said to have been on board the vessel for three days, were rescued after they banged the door to their hiding place for fear of death by suffocation.

    Boniface Douglass (Ghanaian); Mustapha Ayinla, Bernard Amadi, Azinabor Gideon, Isaac Delight, Daniel Timothy, Justice Agburum, Anthony Oladipupo, Emma Okon, Idowu Adeyemi, Philip Israel and Holly Osatwie all Nigerians, were rescued by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT at the Lagos anchorage after the chemical vessel crew sent a signal to the navy.

    They were said to have gone onboard the vessel for a contracted job for which they were paid, but rather than leaving, the suspects decided to stowaway.

    Handing over the suspects to Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC), Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade, said their mission was to illegally exit the country through the ship.

    “Having established a prima facie case against the suspects, they are being handed over to the NIS for further investigation and possible prosecution.

    “It is important you find something to do here because Nigeria is a land of plenty. You can do a lot in this country. It is not compulsory you work in a company, you can even be self employed. You went to do a job onboard and you were paid but you decided to stowaway.

    “The NN reiterates its drive to make our waterways safe for legitimate businesses to thrive. However, we appeal to ship owners and all sea farers to ensure that thorough security checks are conducted onboard prior to departure from harbour,” said Alade.

    Also speaking, the Commanding Officer, NNS Beecroft, Commodore Ovenseri Uwadiae said the rescue operation was carried out based on information from the ship that suspected stowaways were onboard.

    He said: “The rescue team boarded the ship and 12 stowaways were found onboard the ship. They are composed of 11 Nigerians and one Ghanaian. We carried out preliminary investigations and they confessed that they actually boarded the ship to possible destinations in Europe.

    “Their intention was to seek for greener pastures abroad. Based on that confession and extant regulations that issues of this nature, we handed them over to the NIS for a follow up.

    “If there is any young man that wants to travel abroad for greener pastures, he should prepare himself properly and get the requisite travel documents to whatever country of their choice because the streets of Europe are not paved with gold. The immigration laws there are becoming harder and it is very difficult for stowaways to penetrate.”