The Nigerian Navy has arrested a tanker, MT Sea Eunice, for switching off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) in violation of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety (NIMASA) regulations.
The arrested ship was consequently handed over to NIMASA for further investigation and sanctions.
The base operation officer of the Nigerian Navy ship, Delta, Navy Commander Samuel Musa, disclosed this on Wednesday, at Escravos Onshore in Delta State.
The Naval Commander disclosed that the vessel was arrested by the Nigerian Navy, NNS Delta, on August 11, 2022, while the crew “continuously and consistently engaged in switching on and off their Automatic Identification System which is a violation of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulations which, back home in Nigeria, NIMASA oversees.”
“Consequently, after the completion of the preliminary investigations, the Nigerian Navy under the watch of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Subair Gambo directed the Flag Officer Commanding Central Naval Command to hand over the vessel to NIMASA through the Commander, NNS Delta,” he said.
Musa noted that the essence of the handover is a testament to the Nigerian Navy’s position in continuous policing of the Nigerian maritime domain and the synergy and collaboration with other maritime stakeholders.
Also speaking while taking over the arrested ship from the navy, the District Surveyor of NIMASA, Central Zone, Oyadiran Joshua Oyeniyi, who represented the Zonal Coordinator, said the agency will scrutinise the naval report on the seized ship and sanction owners appropriately if infractions were detected.
“Having taken over the vessel from the Nigerian Navy, we have to inspect the ship, and look at the report of the Nigerian Navy about the ship. We have to carry out our own inspection, and if we find out any infraction, we will sanction the vessel owners. It is only after then that we can release the ship to the owners,” Oyeniyi said.
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