Steel Firm To Melt Illegal Bunkering Vessel Arrested By Navy Since 2014

A vessel grounded in Navy yard since 2014 in Bayelsa state over involvement in illegal oil bunkering activities have been handed over to a steel company to scrap and melt its steel.

The confiscated vessel (MT Maro) and its crew members were arrested since 2014 and prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The Forward Operating Base, FORMOSO, of the Nigeria Navy in state handed over the vessel to the steel company in order to scrap and dismantle it and turn to Iron steel.

Handling over the vessel, the Commander of FORMOSO, Captain Suleiman Ibrahim, said it was to enable them use it for other useful purpose.

He said the owners of the vessel absconded after the arrest of the crew and subsequent prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), and left the property in the custody of the navy.

According to him, “Today, we come for the handing over of MT Maro, from which was under the custody of Nigerian Navy, but  now it’s been officially handed over to Sir Francis Orjiako, he’s the manager of Ayo Steel, an industrialist, and he intend to scrap the vessel and then use it for some other things. 

“Sometimes in 2014, it was originally arrested for some infractions which had to do with crude oil theft and have since then been here. 

“Usually, when arrests are made, the owner of the vessels have responsibility to maintain present on the vessel. What the navy does is that as soon as this arrests are made, the vessel are handed over to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission who will investigate and prosecute, but it does not exonerate the owners and the companies who owns the vessel from directly looking after the vessel and running the machineries. 

“I think the situation we had was that the company that owned the vessel, after a while pulled out her personnel and that is why the vessel is in this state like this. 

The Managing Director of Ayo Steel, Francis Orjiako, said he intended to dismantle the vessel into scraps and melt into iron rods for industrial use.

“Well, we intend to cut it and melt it, so when we start working, any moment from next week, we will cut it and bring it out from d water. In four months, we will be through with it.