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Illegal Oil Bunkering: One Headache too Many

Crude oil theft is an increasing phenomenon in Nigeria The recent upsurge of crude oil theft, also known as illegal oil bunkering in Nigeria has become an issue that now gives the government, oil producing companies and Nigerians as a whole sleepless nights. While economies of countries, where Nigeria's illegally bunkered oil are sold thrive on this cheap and illicit oil, that of Nigeria, biggest oil producer in Africa has continued to dwindle, writes Chika Amanze-NwachukuThe Nigerian constitution provides that all minerals, oil and gas in Nigeria belong to the federal government; therefore the possession of crude oil by an individual or group other than those licensed to lift oil is illegal and punishable under the law. Despite the law in place, theft of Nigeria's crude oil has been a decade-long issue and in recent time, has been on the increase. Top government officials, the military and some highly-placed Nigerians, including top traditional rulers in the oil producing areas had been fingered as some of the culprits, but till date known of these top politicians or individual has been interrogated or brought to book.Not too long ago, a Nigerian magazine reported that a select group of officials in the Nigerian ...

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Pirates release Halifax oil tanker off Nigeria

Piracy has escalated in the Gulf of Guinea, prompting the UN to call for increased naval patrols An oil tanker seized by pirates off the coast of the Niger Delta last week has been released, officials in Nigeria say.The vessel - the MT Halifax - was attacked near the oil city of Port Harcourt.The crew of 25, mainly Filipinos, were said to be safe and accounted for.The area has seen an increase in the number of hijackings of tankers as pirates target oil shipments moving out of Nigeria.In most cases the cargo of fuel is taken off before the ship and crew are released unharmed - unlike in Somalia where crews and their ships are held until ransoms are paid, often after several months."The vessel is presently being escorted to Port Harcourt harbour by Nigerian Navy Patrol Team," a spokeswoman for the Nigerian Maritime Administration said."Part of the cargo was siphoned," she said.The Halifax is operated by the Greek-based Ancora Investment Trust Inc and is flagged out of Malta.Piracy surgeAncora lost contact with the tanker on 30 October, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).An official said it was located about 100km (60 miles) off Port Harcourt before it was ...

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Pirates hijack oil tanker off Nigeria

Supply boat seized in separate Thursday attack Pirates have hijacked an oil products tanker off the coast of Nigeria after contact was lost with the vessel and crew over the weekend, the vessel's manager said on Thursday.An official with Greek-based Ancora Investment Trust Inc said the Halifax tanker was still being held. "They are holding the vessel and crew," the official told Reuters.An oil security source told Reuters separately that pirates had hijacked a small oil supply boat, called MV Igbere, off the coast of Nigeria on Thursday.The incidents were the latest in a lengthening string of attacks on ships in the Gulf of Guinea that experts say threatens an emerging trade hub -- and an increasingly important source of oil, metals and agricultural products like cocoa to world markets.Pirates in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, which stretches from Guinea to Angola, tend to raid ships for cash and cargo rather than hijacking the crews for ransom like their counterparts off the coast of Somalia, analysts say."What they are aiming at is the cargo," said the official from Ancora Investment Trust, which manages the tanker.The official said the Halifax had been 60 miles off Nigeria's Port Harcourt before it was ...

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GAC’s green initiatives beat savings targets in Nigeria have already met their target

Measures introduced by GAC Nigeria Measures introduced by GAC Nigeria to cut its generator use, fuel bills and carbon footprint have met their target two months ahead of schedule.As part of the GAC Group's commitment to reducing the impact of operations on the environment, GAC Nigeria had installed a transformer to connect its head office in Lagos to the national grid. Although only available for part of each day, Nigeria's grid electricity is cheaper than running diesel-powered generators and using it reduces carbon emissions.It was estimated that it would take 13 months to recoup the cost of installing the transformer. However, the resulting savings paid for the capital investment in just 11 months.Over that period, the GAC Lagos office took its power from the national grid for an average of just over 9 hours per day, producing significant monthly savings in diesel consumption.The project was led by Martin Wills, GAC Nigeria's Maintenance Manager, who says: "Despite three months when the grid electricity supply was poor, bringing down the daily average, our initiative has brought very real, measurable results - both for the environment and our budget. We are now looking forward to further savings in 2012."GAC's Managing Director, Neale Proctor, ...

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Pirates seize oil tanker, kidnap crew near Nigeria

Tthe attack happened off the coast of Port Harcourt Private security sources tell The Associated Press that pirates have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta and kidnapped the foreign crew.The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the seizure with journalists, said the attack happened off the coast of Port Harcourt.An unknown number of foreign crew members remained held Thursday as the pirates offloaded the tanker's oil cargo. The tanker was identified as the MT Halifax, a ship flagged out of Malta. The Associated Press could not immediately reach the ship's owner Thursday.Analysts say the area has seen a growing trend of oil tanker hijackings as pirates target legal and illegal oil shipments moving out of Nigeria.Source: AP

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Nigeria seeks cooperation among African navies

To curb the activities of sea pirates in the continental coastal water Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ola Ibrahim has said that African Navies needed to cooperate to curb the activities of sea pirates in the continental coastal water.The Naval chief said in Johannesburg yesterday that the activities of the pirates at the African coastal lines would drive investors away if not curbed.Ibrahim, who was a Guest Speaker at the just-concluded African Navy Maritime Security Conference in South Africa, said that the potentials in the continental seas needed to be fully protected."The main issue discussed at the conference is how African Navy can cooperate, so cooperation was preached on many grounds. The conferences also afford the opportunity for us to know that whatever happens in any parts of Africa affect other nations."So it is very clear that without cooperation we can achieved very little success in tackling the activities of pirates that is now a threat in the continent territorial waters."Ibrahim said the experience and cooperation between West Africa Navy in provision of security in the sub-region was shared with the delegates."I also have to tell the audience how Nigeria Navy on the request of the Benin Republic President, ...

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Nigeria says arrests 46 oil thieves, seizes oil tanker ship

The ship was loaded with 1,000 barrels, valued at around $100,000 Nigeria's military said on Monday they had detained a small oil tanker and arrested 46 people trying to ship illegally refined oil products, pursuing a fight against an underground industry worth hundred of millions of dollars a year.Nigeria is Africa's largest crude oil exporter but its production capacity is reduced significantly by oil bunkering, where thieves tap often unguarded pipelines which pass through the thousands of kilometres of winding creeks and waterways in the vast Niger Delta region.The military said 13 large wooden Cotonou boats and a speed boat were ferrying barrels of oil product to a ship with the capacity to hold around 1,000 barrels, valued at around $100,000. The oil had been processed in one of the hundreds of makeshift illegal refineries hidden in the creeks."These suspects, who were nabbed by our patrol teams at River Akassa, were in the process of loading this vessel with illegally refined petroleum products. Presently, the oil vessel is detained at the Government Jetty in Yenagoa," said a spokesman for the Niger Delta joint task force."These suspects have contributed in no small measure to the destruction of the nation's economy and ...

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Bill to Domesticate Treaties on Piracy, Waterways Robbery Underway

In a bid to curtail the activities of sea piracy and robbery in Nigeria In a bid to curtail the activities of sea piracy and robbery in Nigeria waterways, a bill to domesticate international laws, guidelines, and conventions on the matter is underway in the National Assembly.The global maritime watchdog, International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has several treaties, guidelines, and conventions to tackle the menace of sea piracy, robbery in the waterways and sundry matters.However, such treaties, guidelines, and conventions cannot be applied in member countries until they are domesticated.Nigeria is presently in Category C, in the Governing Council of IMO, and she would be seeking for a re-election into the prestigious body during its General Assembly at its Headquarters in London, United Kingdom, next month.To ensure that the bill does not encounter any hitch at the National Assembly, a Lagos base lawyer, Mr. Mike Igbokwe (SAN), has been given a mandate to ensure that the bill has all the provisions to enable Nigeria successfully prosecute waterways robbers and sea pirates.Igbokwe, who dropped the hint in Lagos in a chat with reporters, said as the consultant to the government for the preparation of the bill, its successful passage into law in ...

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Nigeria-Benin anti-piracy patrols ”successful”

Attacks have dropped significantly over the last month The joint anti-piracy patrols undertaken by Benin and Nigeria are bearing fruit, as attacks have dropped significantly over the last month, according to Benin's Chief of Defence Staff."Currently there is an ongoing naval operation in our seas, so as to deter pirates from operating in our territorial waters. I think this has so far been successful, as there has been no more attacks, apart from some minor incidents here and there," said Benin's Chief of Defence Staff Boni Mathew.Mathew said the joint operation with Nigeria had also succeeded in ensuring safety along the borders of both countries and had helped curb such crimes and weapons smuggling.Operation Fire for Fire was designed to stop smuggling and piracy off the coasts of both nations. Armed speedboats are patrolling the waters off Benin and Nigeria, but AFP reports that the joint patrols were also to include a radar-equipped ship with a helicopter.The joint anti-piracy patrols will last six months, by which time Benin should be able to monitor its own waters.In August Benin's President Boni Yayi called for a regional summit on the issue of piracy. At the meeting in early August, Nigeria's President Goodluck ...

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Ship attacked at Exxon Nigerian oil platform

No clues for the identity of the attackers or the reason for their action Gunmen attacked a ship supplying an Exxon Mobil oil platform off the Nigerian coast, the company said on Tuesday, less than three weeks after someone was kidnapped from a vessel at one of its facilities in the same waters.Kidnappings are relatively common in the onshore oil-producing Niger Delta but since an amnesty was agreed with militants in 2009 and the military have cracked down on gangs in the creeks, more attacks have spread offshore."Mobil Producing Nigeria, operator of the joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, confirms that in the early hours of Monday October 17, 2011, some armed men attacked a third party vessel near our facilities, offshore Akwa Ibom State," a company statement said on Tuesday."At this time, we do not know the identity of the attackers, nor reason for their action. The incident has been reported to security and relevant government agencies."The company did not say if anyone had been kidnapped or what happened to the vessel.A sailor was kidnapped from a ship supplying an Exxon oil platform in the same region on Sep. 30. There has been no update on his ...

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