Detained Greek vessel escapes

Palpable fears gripped the nation’s maritime industry at the weekend following news of the escape of a Greek vessel earlier detained on court orders at Apapa Port, carrying with her three Nigerian security guards.

The guards, whose identities still remained sketchy as at press time, were engaged by a Federal High Court Admiralty Marshal to provide security on board of the ship code-named MT (Merchant Tanker) Tritya.
Daily Sun reliably gathered that the vessel, belonging to a prominent Greek fleet, was under arrest on court orders as pre-judgement security for the alleged short-fall of 1000 tonnes of gas oil cargo valued at about N100 million.

The ship had earlier been speculated to be in the custody of the Nigerian Navy.
But reacting to the report, Director of Naval Information, Captain Henry Babalola, said the vessel was not under the custody of the Nigerian Navy.

Captain Babalola said the matter involving the vessel was a dispute between two parties.
He stressed that the Navy was not involved in the detention of the vessel.
The cargo owners, Capital Oil and Gas industries Limited and Rahamanniya Global Resources Limited, had dragged the vessel owners and operators to court seeking claims for the shortlanded goods.
Managing Director of Pokat Nigeria Limited, an agency company to the cargo owners, Mr. Tokunboh Akinsola, at a joint press conference with his principals in Lagos, Monday, said the vessel escaped Saturday evening with the three private guards on board.

Narrating the events leading to the escape of the vessel earlier on anchorage at Lister Jetty, Apapa, Mr. Akinsola said following the court order, the Western Naval Command, as well as the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), were duely informed about the development.

“The warrant of arrest, notice of arrest and order of arrest were all served on the MT Tritya and other relevant persons, including the Harbour Master of NPA, and the vessel detained at the Lister Jetty, Greek Road, Apapa, Lagos, by the bailiff of the court on July 9, 2007,” he said.

According to him, trouble started when it was observed that the vessel was blocking the berthing space at Lister Jetty thereby inhibiting other vessels on lawful operations, hence the “Harbour Master and Jetty owners mounted pressures”, and subsequently applied to the court for her relocation.
He said the court order granting the relocation of the vessel to either Commodore Pool or Tin Can Island Port, provided the safe ground for the ship captain to sail off on Saturday night at about 11: 00 pm.
Mr. Akinshola said even though the three private guards on board the vessel were engaged by the Admiralty Marshal of the Federal High Court, he was nonetheless in constant touch with them on telephone.

According to him, immediately the guards woke him up with the alarming news of her apparent escape on the Saturday night, he in-turn phoned the Harbour Master simply identified as Captain Uwak, to inform him about the discovery.

“Between 7:00 pm and 11:00 pm that Saturday night when the vessel escaped with the poor Nigerian guards whom we fear may have been killed, I telephoned the Harbour Master more than three times and he kept on assuring me that his men would soon arrive at the jetty to take control.”
He said he was still in touch with the guards on phone till about noon on Sunday when their phones ran out-of-service, apparently at the Benin Republic High Sea.


Pleading on behalf of the cargo owners and the families of the three security guards, Mr. Akinsola urged the International Police (Interpol), Nigerian Embassies in Togo, Benin and Ghana as well as management of the Nigerian Maritime Safety and Administration Agency (NIMASA), to help track down the fleeing vessel.

How can they detain a ship and leave the captain on board?
Our people can be so careless.
maybe they were asking for bribe and the man "drove" off.

the 3 nigerian security guards have now become detainees.

na today. ghana must go don exchange hand

@topic,

Nigeria we hail thee. Can you all sing along?

The ship may have been too small for them not to have noticed as it sailed away. I only pity the three guards on board who may have been killed by now.

I'm afraid for the three guards. they could be dead by now

Hmm NA wa!

Unless the Nigerian Navy do not know their job, their credibility is in question here.

They should take few military helicopters and chased the vessell so that they can send strong signals to others.

Even if not for the boat but for the poor security guards.

I sense some conniving and collaboration here. It is very bad for this country if something is not done immediatelty about it.

A vessell of that size cannot travel too fast and will need to refuel, so unless the Navy do not understand their job of protection of our SEa boarders they will fail in arresting the ship.

God will help us to get our men back

Unless the Nigerian Navy do not know their job, their credibility is in question here.

very funny, Nigerian Navy!!!!

This is old news that shiup was found

To.

Davidylan

When did ship escape because reading

Mamajama

It was an old news and that the ship was found, and To MAMAJAMA as far as you are aware is it the same ship we are talking here and when was it found, and how about the crew.

I hope it is not another ship with similar circumstances as precedent are quickly followed in Nigeria, once somebody find a loophole, they will just strike.

May God in his infinite mercy rescue our men and all of us.

since the topic says "a whole ship escapes again" we may be talking of another ship here.
an abducted man in a car can attempt to jump out or attract passersby ,what does one in ship do,jump into the ocean?

If he can swim, he'll eventually get tired and drown
not to talk of the risk of being crushed by that or other vessels
or being eaten alive by some hungry baracudas
If he can't swim,he drowns
I pray they are rescued alive

Unless the Nigerian Navy do not know their job, their credibility is in question here.

They should take few military helicopters and chased the vessell so that they can send strong signals to others.

Even if not for the boat but for the poor security guards.

I sense some conniving and collaboration here. It is very bad for this country if something is not done immediatelty about it.

A vessell of that size cannot travel too fast and will need to refuel, so unless the Navy do not understand their job of protection of our SEa boarders they will fail in arresting the ship.

God will help us to get our men back

so true,what do we have a naval force for?
and I don't suppose their offices are far from the wharf

Only in Nigeria ~can ships disappear,the Attorney General gets killed(nothing done still);our leaders tell us things are getting better when essential services are lacking;elections rigged and politicians imposed on us;people with no clue whatsoever are in government and much more

AH IT WASNT A SHIP IT WAS CANOE.

I BOW FOR UNA NA NAIJA BE THIS IF 37 BILLION FIT LOSS SO WHY SHIP NO GO LOSS. HOW MUCH IS THE SHIP COMPARE TO WHAT IS MISSING IN STATE TREASURIES I BEG NA CANOE BE THAT COMPARE TO WETIN THEY MISS FOR THIS NATION

Mamajama:

This is old news that shiup was found

The news is current as at 17th July 2007 - perhaps you can tell me how "old" that is.

I wont be surprised if Ehindero stole the ship.