The Nigerian Navy has set ablaze an arrested vessel, ‘MV Cecilia’ with about 350,000 litres of stolen automated gas oil, also known as diesel, in Woji, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The vessel was seized by personnel of the Nigerian Navy ship Pathfinder in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, 16th August 2023, while three suspects were arrested.
The Commander of Operation Delta Safe, Real Admiral Olusegun Ferrera, represented by the maritime component commander of the Joint Taskforce for Operation Delta Safe, South-South, Navy Commodore Adedokun Siyanbade, had conducted newsmen around the arrested vessel.
Ferrera said the vessel, which has not been in use for two years, serves as a storage tank for illegally refined products.
He said that as part of efforts to fulfil the mandate of Operation Delta Safe, the Commander JTF, South-South of OPDS, directed the NNS Pathfinder based on credible intelligence, to conduct a covert operation in the area, which led to the arrest.
He stated: “The vessel has a capacity altogether, including the fuel and water capacity, of about 350,000 litres.
“The water tanks have been converted into storage tanks for illegal products, and the vessel has not been to sea for the past two years”.
But on Wednesday afternoon, personnel of the Nigeria Navy Ship Pathfinder, acting ‘under extant regulations’ pushed the vessel far into the deep waters and rained diesel and petrol on it before setting fire to the arrested vessel.
Newsmen who witnessed the scene, reports that two naval gunboats manned with personnel escorted the impounded vessel, while a tug boat pushed it for over two hours into a safe location where it was positioned.
The stationary vessel gradually convulsed into flames, with tick-black smoke billowing into the sky.
Newsmen were thereafter ferried back to the jetty, where they all disembarked at about 5.15 pm on Wednesday.
