The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has clarified that the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Skipper, recently intercepted by the United States Coast Guard and U.S. Navy, is not a Nigerian-flagged vessel and has no registered ownership ties to Nigeria.

The agency issued the clarification following media reports alleging that the vessel, identified by IMO Number 9304667, was Nigerian-owned and linked to crude oil theft and other transnational crimes.

In a statement signed by its Deputy Director and Head of Public Relations, Osagie Edward, NIMASA said that the arrested vessel is not registered under the Nigerian flag, and its purported owners, Thomarose Global Ventures Limited, are not listed with NIMASA as a Nigerian shipping company.

Data from NIMASA’s Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence (C4i) Centre showed that the vessel was last sighted in Nigerian waters on July 1, 2024.

After leaving Nigeria, the agency said the vessel followed an international sailing pattern, operating in the Arabian Sea before moving to the Caribbean region, where U.S. authorities eventually carried out the interdiction.

Records also showed that the vessel, formerly owned by Triton Navigation Corp, had undergone multiple name changes over time.

According to the NIMASA statement, “The attention of the Management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has been drawn to media reports stating that the United States Coast Guard, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, intercepted a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Skipper with IMO Number 9304667, alleged to be Nigerian-owned and involved in crude oil theft and other transnational crimes.

“An analysis of the vessel’s movement, monitored through the Agency’s Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence (C4i) Centre, shows that the vessel was last sighted in Nigerian waters on 1 July 2024.

“After departing Nigerian waters, the vessel continued on its NIMASA’s Director General, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, said the agency would continue to collaborate with international partners, including U.S. authorities, as investigations progress. He stressed that criminal activity would not be tolerated in Nigerian waters international voyage pattern and was tracked operating in the Arabian Sea (Asia) and later in the Caribbean region, where the U.S. interdiction eventually took place.

NIMASA’s Director General, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, said the agency would continue to collaborate with international partners, including U.S. authorities, as investigations progress. He stressed that criminal activity would not be tolerated in Nigerian waters.