By Sandra Ugwu 

The United States Coast Guard, working with the US Navy, has seized a Nigerian-owned supertanker, Skipper, over allegations of crude oil theft, piracy, and other transnational crimes. The 20-year-old Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), with IMO Number 9304667, is reportedly owned and managed by Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd., although its registered owner is listed as Triton Navigation Corp. of the Marshall Islands. Authorities also disclosed that the vessel was unlawfully flying the Guyanese flag at the time of interception.

Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) swiftly denied any affiliation with the ship, confirming that Skipper is not listed in its national registry and had no authorisation to use its flag. US officials said the operation was carried out under American law enforcement authority and was publicly announced by President Donald Trump. Investigators are also examining claims that the vessel transported a significant consignment of hard drugs and was linked to a criminal network allegedly financed by Iranian and Islamist-related money-laundering groups.

A search conducted at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) revealed that Thomarose Global Ventures is currently inactive. The company’s registered address is listed as 111 Jakpa Road, Effurun, Delta State, though no phone contact is associated with the firm.

Reacting to the development, President of the Centre for Marine Surveyors Nigeria, Engr. Akin Olaniyan, said that if the vessel indeed departed from Nigeria, the incident exposes critical weaknesses in the country’s Port State Control system. According to him, this could result in vessels leaving Nigerian waters facing heightened scrutiny abroad.

Mazi Colman Obasi, President of the Oil and Gas Service Providers Association of Nigeria (OGSPAN), expressed surprise at the existence of a Nigerian-owned supertanker that appears inactive in CAC records. Similarly, President of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Otunba Sola Adewumi, and former NIMASA Director-General, Mr. Temisan Omatseye, said they were still gathering details before making any official comments. NIMASA spokesperson, Mr. Edward Osagie, said the agency had no formal information on the matter and requested an official enquiry.

A Port Harcourt-based energy analyst described the development as disappointing, noting that despite the presence of several security agencies and private contractors, oil theft and other illegal activities persist. He stressed that no country can progress when citizens continue to plunder the crude resources that sustain national revenue.

Earlier this year, the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) reported that Nigeria lost 13.5 million barrels of crude oil valued at $3.3 billion to theft and pipeline vandalism between 2023 and 2024. Executive Secretary Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji, speaking at the 2025 NAEC Conference in Lagos, said the lost revenue could have funded a full year of the federal health budget or expanded electricity access to millions of homes. He added that Nigeria earned over $23 billion annually from the oil and gas sector in 2021 and 2022, while companies and government agencies still owe N1.5 trillion to the Federation.

Orji also highlighted NEITI’s progress in deepening transparency through regular industry audits, the Beneficial Ownership Register, the NEITI Data Centre, and collaborations with major regulatory bodies. He noted the introduction of Nigeria’s Just Energy Transition and Climate Accountability Framework designed to ensure that the country’s shift toward cleaner energy remains transparent, inclusive, and equitable.