Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has said that the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), Skipper, detained by the United States (US) Coast Guard for crude oil theft does not fly the Nigerian flag.

The agency’s Deputy Director/Head, Public Relations, Osagie Edward, explained in a statement on Friday that an analysis of the vessel’s movement, monitored through the NIMASA’s Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence (C4i) Centre, shows that the vessel was last sighted in Nigerian waters on 1st July 2024.

According to him, after departing Nigerian waters, the vessel continued on its international voyage pattern and was tracked operating in the Arabian Sea (Asia) and later in the Caribbean region, where the U.S. interdiction eventually took place.

The Director General of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola, reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders, including U.S. authorities, in the ongoing investigations.

He emphasised that criminality will not be tolerated in Nigerian waters.

He said: “NIMASA wishes to put on record that the VLCC SKIPPER is not a Nigerian-flagged vessel, and its purported owners, Thomarose Global Ventures Limited, are not registered with NIMASA as a shipping company.

“Records indicate that SKIPPER, which was formerly owned by Triton Navigation Corp, has undergone multiple name changes over time.”