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The Federal Government on Tuesday disclosed that vessels stealing Nigeria’s crude oil usually switch off identification device to avoid being detected by the authorities.
Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Koko, who made this known while briefing newsmen at the State House, Abuja, stressed that rogue vessels that are used to steal crude oil in the Niger Delta are turn off their Automation Identification System (AIS) to avoid detection in Nigerian territorial waters.
He explained that such ships evade arrest because they switch off their onboard automated tracking system that displays the vessel’s position and others in the vicinity.
His words: “The intelligence persons bringing in vessels to steal crude, one of the things they do is, they short down the AIS. This is what is needed in terms of transmission for you to even know, when the vessel comes in and the location they go to. They come in legally but then they go by the left hand side to commit illegal activities after switching of their AIS”.
Koko said the NPA is now in the process of procuring Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) to enable it to identify, locate and monitor all vessels in the nation’s waters.
According to him, the agency has been trying to acquire the VTS for about 10 years now and has just identified a certified consultant, while also working with the Nigeria Liquefied and Natural Gas (NLNG) Company to help with critical detection.
He assured that the technology will be procured before the end of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.