Navy Arrests Vessel, 12 Crew Members Over Alleged Crude Oil Theft in Akwa Ibom

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

The Nigerian Navy has arrested a vessel, MT FILIA, and its 12 crew members over alleged crude oil theft at the UTUE Terminal in Akwa Ibom State.

The vessel was intercepted in the early hours of Thursday, 23 July 2026, by naval personnel operating under Operation Delta Sentinel following intelligence gathered through the Navy’s surveillance systems.

In a statement, the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said MT FILIA was intercepted while allegedly siphoning crude oil from an oil well terminal jacket.

Preliminary investigations, according to the Navy, showed that the vessel was carrying about 650 metric tonnes of crude oil and 32.82 metric tonnes of fuel oil without the required documentation or authorisation.

The Navy said the vessel, its crew and the petroleum products have been taken into custody for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Reacting to the operation, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, commended the personnel involved and reiterated the Navy’s commitment to tackling crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other maritime crimes affecting Nigeria’s economy and national security.

Abbas said Operation Delta Sentinel would continue to rely on surveillance, intelligence-led operations and collaboration with other security agencies and stakeholders to tackle oil theft and related economic crimes.

The Navy also disclosed that between April and June 2026, its personnel recovered more than 4.7 million litres of petroleum products, deactivated over 58 illegal refining sites and destroyed more than 239 dugout pits and 13 refining ovens.

It added that 91 suspects linked to crude oil theft were arrested during the period.

According to the statement, the operations coincided with an increase in Nigeria’s crude oil production to 1.89 million barrels per day in July 2026.

The Navy reaffirmed its commitment to protecting critical oil and gas infrastructure and supporting efforts to increase crude oil production, while urging members of the public to provide security agencies with credible information on oil theft and other maritime crimes.