The Maritime Guard of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has arrested a service cargo vessel, MV Arti laden with over 80,000 litres of suspected ‘cooked’ automotive gas oil.
A statement by Hajia Lami Tumaka, head public relations, NIMASA said the vessel was arrested at the Bakare Jetty, Kirikiri water front, Apapa while discharging its illicit cargo into trucks for onward distribution and sale.
Members of the Maritime Guard Command also arrested two crew members of the vessel who were supervising discharge of the cargoes into trucks.
Other crew members and operators of the receiving trucks had disappeared from the loading point on sighting officers of the Maritime Guard Command of the Agency.
Tumaka said the vessel is now being detained at the NIMASA Resource Centre Jetty, Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos.
She added that the arrested vessel and crew members will be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation and prosecution.
