MV SKIPPER is not a Nigerian-flagged vessel …Owners not registered with NIMASA
The Management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has dismissed media reports that the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) SKIPPER with IMO Number 9304667, intercepted by the United States Coast Guard, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy for alleged involvement in crude oil theft and other transnational crimes, is Nigerian-owned.
NIMASA, in a statement by Osagie Edward, its Deputy Director/Head, Public Relations, stressed 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.
“An analysis of the vessel’s movement, monitored through the Agency’s Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence (C4i) Centre, shows that the vessel was last sighted in Nigerian waters on 1st July 2024.
“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.
“Records indicate that SKIPPER, which was formerly owned by Triton Navigation Corp, has undergone multiple name changes over time,” the statement said.
The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, it also noted, reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders, including U.S. authorities, in the ongoing investigations, emphasizing that criminality will not be tolerated in Nigerian waters.
