The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has clarified that the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) MV SKIPPER is not a Nigerian-flagged vessel.
The vessel was recently intercepted by the United States Coast Guard and U.S. Navy over allegations of crude oil theft and other transnational crimes.
NIMASA stated that the purported owners of the vessel, Thomarose Global Ventures Limited, are not registered with the Agency as a shipping company. According to the Agency’s analysis, the vessel was last sighted in Nigerian waters on July 1, 2024, before departing and continuing its international voyage pattern.
The vessel’s movement was tracked through NIMASA’s Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence (C4i) Centre, showing that it operated in the Arabian Sea and the Caribbean region before being intercepted.
Records also show that the vessel has undergone multiple name changes, having previously been owned by Triton Navigation Corp.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders, including U.S. authorities, in ongoing investigations. He emphasised that criminality will not be tolerated in Nigerian waters.
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