On 28th May, Nigerian released a Norwegian-seized vessel, MT Heroic Idun, which caught because it attempted to steal Nigeria’s crude oil in August 2022.
In particular, Heroic Idun, had been detained in Nigeria for 10 months over allegations of oil theft and has been released after its owner fulfilled the conditions of a plea bargain agreement.
As explained, Last August, Heroic Idun was detained after an alleged unauthorized entry into Nigerian waters with intent to lift crude oil (under charter to BP).
In response, Nigeria requested Equatorial Guinean authorities to hold the VLCC on charges of oil theft.
The ship and its crew were prosecuted under the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act, 2019.
However, on 4th May, Port Harcourt court has ordered the release of crew of Heroic Idun that was detained by authorities in Equatorial Guinea last August.
Nigerian authorities are determined to enhance energy security governance and it will not fail to bring to book those whose operations infringe on the provisions of the SPOMO Act and all maritime laws and conventions.
..said Capt. Mohammed Adamu, Commanding Officer of Forward Operating Base Bonny.
As a possible deterrent, Heroic Idun’s flag state (the U.S.-administered Marshall Islands) has brought a case against Nigeria with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, alleging that the detention was unlawful.
