1. MT HEROIC IDUN is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) registered in the Marshall Islands, and has a capacity of 3 million barrels of crude oil. It was sailing with a crew of about 25 persons. 

2. It entered Nigerian waters on the 7th of August, 2022, and arrived the Akpo Oilfield (deep offshore) around midnight of that day, with, according to the Nigerian Navy, “the obvious intention of lifting crude oil within the Field, albeit, illegally. This was, however, spotted by the Nigerian Navy Maritime Domain Awareness facility which probed the legitimacy of the Very Large Crude Carrier’s presence in the [TotalEnergies SE] operated Akpo Field.”

3. This Nigerian Navy Maritime Domain Awareness facility is known as Falcon Eye. It was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari (represented by the Vice President at the event) on July 13, 2021, at the Naval Headquarters.

4. Excerpt from the commissioning speech: 

a. “The Falcon Eye System is a state-of-the-art surveillance system that incorporates various sensors located along the nation’s enormous coastline, such as radars, long-range electro-optic systems with thermal or night vision capability, automatic identification system receivers, weather stations and marine very high-frequency radios for communication. The integration of these sensors into the Falcon Eye System, we are told generates a real-time situational awareness of the activities of vessels in the Nigerian maritime domain and some selected parts in the Gulf of Guinea.” 

b. “This will enable the Nigerian Navy to generate a comprehensive intelligence picture of activities within our maritime environment for further analysis before, in appropriate cases, dispatching a Nigerian Navy Ship for interdiction, investigation, and/or subsequent arrest of erring vessels.”

5. The Nigerian Navy (NN) was very clear about the fact that there was no lifting of oil by the Super Tanker before it was detected. The NN says it was still approaching the ‘Single Buoy Mooring’ – the point in the Oilfield at which ships anchor, in preparation for loading operations – when the NN intercepted it. 

6. The NN says the Super Tanker spent barely 20 minutes on the approach to the Mooring Point, certainly not enough time for a Very Large Crude Carrier to take any crude. Loading a VLCC is not as simple as dropping a bucket into a well. No. 

7. Also, this is not some obscure oilfield, it’s a major Field, housing a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit operated by TOTALEnergies SE.

8. TOTAL confirmed to Bloomberg that, “At no time was crude volumes transferred” to MT HEROIC IDUN. 

9. Importantly, according to Reuters: “Most stolen oil is siphoned from onshore pipelines, and theft from a marine export line in a large vessel would be notably rare.”

10. And according to Bloomberg: “Nigerian authorities are under pressure to stem rampant crude theft from the country’s onshore pipelines. It would be highly unusual for such activity to occur in deepwater permits 200 kilometers off the coast.”

11. Nigerian Navy says checks with the NNPC revealed that the Super Tanker was not cleared or authorized to load crude oil from the Field.

12. Nigerian Navy says it routinely seeks clarification from NNPC regarding oil tankers within Nigerian waters. On July 11, 2022, an LNG Carrier, TRINITY ARROW, was arrested by the Nigerian Navy at the NLNG Terminal in Bonny, following the discovery that it was without the requisite permit for loading. As soon as the permit was issued, the Vessel was released and allowed to load LNG. 

13. Apparently, some vessels commence their journeys without advance authorization from NNPC or other regulatory/clearance authorities, in the hope that by the time they approach the loading point, the authorization has been released. 

14. Once it was established that MT HEROIC IDUN had no clearance to be in the Oilfield, the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) GONGOLA, an Inshore Patrol Craft (IPC) was deployed to the scene. 

15. According to the NN, NNS GONGOLA asked the Super Tanker to “to turn around and follow NNS GONGOLA to Bonny anchorage pending when she will be cleared for loading by NNPC Ltd.” 

16. The Super Tanker “refused to cooperate”, says the NN and then “engaged full speed southwards towards the Sao Tome and Principe maritime area in a bid to evade arrest.”

17. This is where it gets even more interesting. In addition to fleeing, the Super Tanker made a false broadcast to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) alleging it was under attack by pirates. It would have been a deliberate escape strategy because there was no way it would mistake a NNS for a pirate ship. 

18. The Nigerian Navy responded quickly, and counter-alerted, through the West Africa Regional Maritime Safety Centre (CRESMAO), based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) Zone E (covering Nigeria, Benin, Niger, Togo), causing the false alert to be cancelled immediately. 

19. [Interestingly, the Heads of these institutions happen to be Nigerian Navy Officers, according to the NN. (CRESMAO is headed by Rear Admiral Istifanus Mu’azu Albara)].

20. According to the NN, “Nigeria has not recorded any piracy attack in its waters in over one year. Hence, this mischievous act by the ship is clearly aimed at tarnishing the good image of the maritime domain of Nigeria, which we have worked very hard to achieve.”

21. The Nigerian Navy immediately invoked something called the Yaoundé Architecture, which is a Gulf of Guinea maritime safety and security collaboration, covering West and Central Africa (19 coastal countries in all). Once the Vessel entered Equatorial Guinea waters (Zone D of the MMCC), Nigeria notified Equatorial Guinea, through the Architecture. EG promptly dispatched a Ship, CAPTAIN DAVID, to intercept the MT HEROIC IDUN, on August 12. 

22. The rogue Vessel is being held at the Luba Anchorage in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Media reports say Equatorial Guinea has released a statement saying it has asked Nigerian intelligence authorities to join in the investigations, and also that it will formally hand over the rogue ship to the Nigerian Government, once these early investigations are concluded. 

23. Media reports also say that BP has acknowledged that it chartered MT HEROIC IDUN to load crude oil from the Akpo Oilfield on Aug 17/18. Reports also say the Vessel is “on long-term charter to Mercuria, making the trading company the de facto owner in the current situation.” (Which simply means BP chartered it from Mercuria. NOTE that there is no allegation of wrongdoing against any of the oil companies mentioned).  

24. The illegalities MT HEROIC IDUN stand accused of are multiple: resisting/evading arrest by the Nigerian Navy, raising false piracy alarm, sailing without an identifying flag (according to the Equatorial Guinea Navy), and sailing in EG waters without prior authorization. (There may be more, we will know later).

25. This remains a developing situation. I expect that what will happen next is the handover of the Vessel to the NN, by Equatorial Guinea, and then Nigeria will likely advance its own investigations, and possibly commence prosecution. 

About the Author

Tolu Ogunlesi is the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Digital & New Media