Concerns have been raised concerning the military’s ongoing burning of vessels found with stolen oil on the nation’s waters, with stakeholders claiming that the measures are intended to obliterate proof of the crimes.
This follows the continual destruction of vessels involved in crude oil theft by security personnel.
Captain Alfred Oniye, a United States (U.S.) Certified Maritime Security Specialist, stated that detaining and burning the vessel amounts to destroying evidence, especially while the inquiry is still ongoing.
“Some people are trying to play games around the stolen crude oil. Now, who owns and chartered the vessels? Who owns the product in it? Where had they been loaded? Who gave them clearance to load?”
“You can’t go and load without first getting clearance. Before you enter into the platform you are going to load, the security surrounding that platform will vet your clearance to be sure you have the clearance to load the crude oil. Now they cleared the vessel in and you are loaded, and they are taking the product to Cameroon and you are apprehended, this story is not clear and it is an organised crime,” he explained.
Oniye, who is also the Secretary General of the Merchant Seafarers Association of Nigeria, stated that the seafarers are victimized rather than locating the receiver of the cargo, stressing that they simply have the responsibility to load, go, and discharge the products.
Captain Tajudeen Alao, President of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM), stated that the burning of vessels discovered with stolen oil by the military is a new trend that must be addressed head on.
Alao contended that this approach would have been permissible 30 to 40 years ago, when there was no international rule governing ship recycling and scrapping.
He stated that in the last 10 to 15 years, there have been several conferences on burning, including those in Hong Kong, Nairobi, and London.
“It is at the extreme when you burn a boat and then you pollute the environment and release sulfur into the atmosphere. You destroy the ecosystem and the consequence is more than the trading profit. So, we need to come out with properly documented guidelines,” he said.
He also urged the federal government to pass legislation prohibiting the military from burning ships found with stolen petroleum on the nation’s waterways.
Chima Williams, Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), condemned the burning and destruction of vessels carrying stolen crude oil, calling it a dangerous and environmentally unfriendly method of combating oil theft in the country.
Williams commented on the economic implications of such operations, saying that damaging and discarding stolen crude is a disservice to the country’s economy because it could create revenue to build infrastructure and improve people’s lives.
He stated that while the country is heavily in debt, the burned vessels can be repurposed for other purposes such as improving the work of seafarers in the country.
“Destroying barges of crude that run into millions is equivalent to denying the nation and its people of the revenue that can be derived from such large amounts of crude. This is a country in dire need of resources to rebuild the economy, build infrastructures and better the lives of the people.”
When discussing the legal consequences of vessel destruction, Williams described it as the elimination of evidence that could lead to proper prosecution of the case.
He further emphasized that such actions undermine basic elements of the rule of law by removing the possibility of conviction or rightful acquittal.
This, he claims, is a denial of justice to the nation, the persons involved, and the victims of their bad operational behavior and operations.
The environmental activist encouraged military and security personnel to put an end to the burning of crude oil-laden vessels, which violates every precept of environmental and health protection.
Temisan Omatseye, former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), warned security agencies to stop this practice, warning that it causes environmental and marine pollution, depriving riverine dwellers of their sources of livelihood.
Omatseye also warned that the practice of hurling dynamite onto vessels suspected of transporting stolen crude oil is destroying the marine ecosystem.
“They do not realise what they are doing to the environment, it is destroying the marine ecosystem and they need to stop this act,” he said.
