The pipeline surveillance contract recently awarded to Tantita Security Services Limited by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to assist curb oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the country, appears to be yielding targeted results.
Tantita Security Personnel on Thursday, October 7, 2022 successfully arrested a crude oil tanker, MT Deinmo, with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number 7210526, loaded with an unspecified quantity of crude oil at the Escravos River in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta state.
In addition to the ship, eight (8) crew members were also apprehended by the Tantita Security personnel.
Tantita Security Services Limited is an organization owned by High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo, the Ibe-Ebidouwei of Ijaw Nation and leader of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND).
One of the security personnel who was part of the operation told GbaramatuVoice that, they got a tip off that a ship was loading at the Escravos axis. The security personnel went to the place and got the ship arrested. The Tantita security expert further added that he was offered a bribe of N25m to let the ship go but he turned down the offer.
On the capacity of the ship, he explained that the ship is 1,500 metric tons and had on board eight all Nigerian crew members.
While noting that the captain confessed that they came in from Lagos and that if they were not arrested, the ship would have sailed back to Lagos.
Meanwhile, we understand that the intercepted ship has been handed over to the Nigerian Navy on Saturday.
It would be recalled that team of Tantita Security Services led by its Managing Director, Engr. Kestin Pondi, on Friday, took security operatives and oil industry leaders, including Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mallam Mele Kyari, among others to site of the discovered illegal oil pipeline deftly plugged into the Trans-Escravos pipeline.