The confirmation was contained in an update report issued by the vessel owners and sent to the National Security Advisor, the Chief of Defense Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited.
According to the update report, the owners stated that, after the visit by Operation Tantita, the IGP Illegal Bunkering Team to MT Prestigious on May 2, 2024, the team alleged that they had received reports of illegal bunkering activities committed by a vessel with an IMO number matching that of MT Prestigious, the second mother vessel deployed in Bonny to support the Newcross EP barging operations.
A written testimony from Donna Spectre, captain of MT Prestigious who doubles as the representative of the barging vendor, and NewcrossEP representative, confirmed the vessel’s only purpose was to convey crude to Bonny Terminal SBM3.
