Authorities in Nigeria have reported the recent seizure of a foreign-owned commercial vessel over allegations of oil theft.
The target of the seizure was the São Tomé and Príncipe-registered tanker Filia, which has been suspected of illegally loading crude without authorisation or proper documentation.
The tanker, which Nigerian officials said is owned by a Hong Kong-based company, had been under observation by the Nigerian Navy for seven days just off the coast when it was detected attempting to head out to sea on the morning (local time) of July 23. A Nigerian patrol boat then moved to intercept the fleeing tanker.
A navy official said that the tanker's crew began dumping its cargo of crude into the sea as the patrol boat approached.
The tanker was eventually boarded by navy personnel, who determined that it had loaded around 650 tonnes of crude prior to the interception. An official said the crude was estimated to be worth around US$490,000.
The navy took the ship and its 12-strong crew into custody as authorities launch an investigation into the alleged theft.
