A VLCC got into a dispute with the Nigerian authorities and was ultimately chased down and detained by Equatorial Guinea.
Equatorial Guinea arrested the vessel contending that it illegally entered its water without permission as it sought to evade the Nigerian forces. The VLCC was carrying a crew of 26 aboard, and is being held while the situation is under investigation.
According to the Equatorial Guinea Vice President Teodoro Nguema, the tanker has committed two serious offenses, first entering the country’s waters without prior authorization and second, navigating without an identifying flag.
The vessel was seen near the AKPO oil field, off the Nigerian coast, on August 7. The Nigerian Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness facility detected it, reporting it also for suspicious activity, as they suspected the vessel did not have permits from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), nor other valid documents to be at the offshore field.
After the tanker departed the terminal, the Nigerian Navy ship Gongola tried to communicate with the tanker. The tanker resisted the contract and issued a warning of an attempted boarding that was recorded by the International Maritime Bureau.
After a while, the Nigerian forces requested the assistance of neighboring Equatorial Guinea in the pursuit of the crude oil tanker. The vessel was stopped on the afternoon of 12 and ordered to sail to Equatorial Guinea.
