•Refining crude oil illegally is big business in the Niger Delta
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, said on Sunday that oil thieves will no longer have the capacity to transport stolen petroleum products.
Ibas said this shortly after addressing officers and ratings of the Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder Port Harcourt.
He said that troops will now be strategically positioned at “choke points” to prevent transportation of stolen petroleum products.
According to him, navy is also putting in place other tactical strategies to curb oil theft, piracy and attacks on oil and gas installations on the waterways and maritime environment.
“We are recapitalising our fleet and building capacities by way of getting our docks, yards and shipyards to be operational, so that we will be in a position to perform better.
“Efforts put in by the navy (with assistance from other security services) in 2014 resulted in drastic reduction of crude oil theft from about 1.2 million barrels per day to about 250,000.
“The navy has come up with patrol strategies and creation of more choke points, so that, when oil thieves steal whatever they have to steal, they cannot have access into the open sea,” he said.
Ibas said though government had done much in the provision of resources the navy still lacked the capacity to monitor all wellheads, pipelines and other facilities due to difficulty of the Niger Delta terrain.
He said the navy could not be held accountable for the adverse impact on the environment caused by the destruction of illegal refineries and boats carrying stolen petroleum products.
“When you check around our jetties you will see badges and boat littering the entire jetties just because some relevant agencies are not doing their part in prosecution and evacuation of products.
“If the navy do not …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
