The United States Coast Guard, in collaboration with the US Navy, has intercepted a Nigerian-owned supertanker, the Skipper, amid allegations of crude oil theft, piracy, and transnational crimes. The vessel, a 20-year-old Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), is reportedly owned by Nigeria-based Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd., although it is registered under Triton Navigation Corp., based in the Marshall Islands.
At the time of its interception, the supertanker was illegally flying the Guyanese flag. Guyana’s Maritime Administration clarified that Skipper is not entered in its national registry and was unauthorized in using its flag.
According to US authorities, the operation, announced by President Donald Trump, was executed under American law enforcement authority. In addition to crude theft, the vessel is also under investigation for allegedly transporting hard drugs and operating within a network believed to be backed by suspected Iranian and Islamist-linked financiers.
A check with Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) revealed that Thomarose is inactive, with its registered address in Warri, Delta State. Concerns over the state of the vessel and the lack of operational contact details have been raised by various stakeholders.
Engr. Akin Olaniyan, President of the Centre for Marine Surveyors Nigeria, expressed alarm over potential weaknesses in Nigeria’s Port State Control, emphasizing that if the ship left Nigerian waters, this indicated serious regulatory issues.
Other industry figures, including representatives from the Oil and Gas Service Providers Association and the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria, acknowledged their limited knowledge about the tanker, calling for more information on its ownership and registration status.
Earlier this year, the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) reported that Nigeria lost approximately 13.5 million barrels of crude oil valued at $3.3 billion to theft and sabotage between 2023 and 2024, highlighting the ongoing challenges of oil theft in the region.
