… NEITI warns Nigeria lost $3.3bn To Crude Theft In One Year
… CAC Reveals Vessel’s Managing Firm Is Inactive With No Contacts
Daud Olatunji
Nigeria’s maritime and regulatory systems have again come under intense global scrutiny after the United States Navy and Coast Guard arrested a Nigerian-linked supertanker, Skipper, over allegations of large-scale crude oil theft, drug trafficking, piracy, and connections to an international crime network.
The Skipper, a 20-year-old Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) with IMO number 9304667, was intercepted in an operation publicly confirmed by US President Donald Trump. Preliminary investigations show the vessel was being operated by Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd., a Nigerian company now listed as inactive by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
US authorities also disclosed that the vessel flew the Guyanese flag illegally—an act Guyana has strongly disowned, insisting Skipper is not on its ship registry and had no approval to sail under its national colours.
Beyond alleged stolen crude oil, American intelligence reports suggest the tanker is tied to a syndicate believed to be financed by Iranian-linked and Islamist money-laundering networks, raising geopolitical concerns about Nigeria’s role knowingly or unknowingly in global illicit trade routes.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that a review of CAC documents revealed that the managing firm, Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd., registered as number 1007876 at 111 Jakpa Road, Effurun, Warri, Delta State, has no updated corporate profile and no reachable telephone line.
Maritime stakeholders said that it is alarming that a company flagged as inactive on Nigeria’s corporate registry could operate a vessel of that scale, let alone one now linked to international criminal activity.
Experts have described the development as a damning verdict on Nigeria’s maritime oversight system.
Engr. Akin Olaniyan, President of the Centre for Marine Surveyors of Nigeria, said the arrest signals a collapse of Nigeria’s Port State Control regime.
“If the vessel emanated from Nigeria, it suggests that our Port State Control is practically non-existent.
Vessels leaving our waters may now face stricter foreign scrutiny. This is a regulatory enforcement failure.”
His concerns mirror longstanding warnings about Nigeria’s porous maritime environment and weak inter-agency coordination.
National President of the Oil and Gas Service Providers Association of Nigeria (OGSPAN), Mazi Colman Obasi, expressed disbelief that a Nigerian firm listed as inactive could be linked to a supertanker.
“I have never heard of a Nigerian-owned supertanker being operated by a company that is inactive in CAC. Agencies must do more.”
President of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Otunba Sola Adewumi, and former NIMASA DG, Mr. Temisan Omatseye, both said they could not comment until more details emerge.
NIMASA spokesman, Edward Osagie, also told journalists that the agency had no official brief yet and requested a formal enquiry before responding.
A Port Harcourt–based energy analyst said the incident exposes how deeply entrenched oil theft syndicates remain within the region.
“This is another embarrassing reminder that despite all the security layers, oil theft persists.
A nation cannot survive when its citizens sabotage its major foreign-exchange lifeline.”
The arrest comes just months after the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) revealed that Nigeria lost 13.5 million barrels of crude—worth $3.3 billion—between 2023 and 2024 to theft and sabotage.
NEITI Executive Secretary, Dr. Ogbonnanya Orji, while speaking at the 2025 NAEC Conference, warned that the recurring losses could have financed: an entire year of the federal health budget and expanded energy access to millions of households
Orji also revealed that: over 4,800 extractive assets have been unmasked through Nigeria’s Beneficial Ownership Register ;N1.5 trillion remains owed to the Federation by companies and government agencies
The interception of the Skipper adds to the growing list of cases highlighting Nigeria’s vulnerability to international smuggling networks. Many of these syndicates exploit loopholes in:vessel monitoring
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