By Chigozie Dennis
The Nigerian Navy has recorded another operational breakthrough in its renewed offensive against crude oil theft, intercepting stolen petroleum products at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) facility in Calabar, Cross River State.
The operation, conducted under the Navy’s ongoing security initiative, Operation Delta Sentinel, led to the recovery of thousands of litres of illegally siphoned petroleum products suspected to have been stolen from vessels berthed at the port.
Naval authorities disclosed that the interception followed credible intelligence indicating that some individuals were clandestinely siphoning petroleum products from ships docked within the port area.
Acting swiftly on the tip-off, personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory were deployed to the location, launching a targeted patrol around the Nigerian Ports Authority operational zone in Calabar.
The patrol team traced the suspicious activity to a trailer park located within the port facility, where the stolen petroleum products were reportedly being stockpiled.
However, upon sighting the approaching naval patrol team, the suspected perpetrators fled the scene, abandoning the illegally siphoned products and other items used in the operation.
The naval personnel subsequently secured the area and carried out a detailed inspection of the site to determine the scale of the illegal activity.
The inspection led to the recovery of about 3,950 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) stored in several drums and jerrycans concealed within the trailer park.
The recovered products were immediately evacuated to the naval base for documentation and further necessary action in line with existing regulations.
In a statement signed by the Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Abidemi Folorunsho, the Navy reaffirmed its determination to sustain the operational momentum of Operation Delta Sentinel through intensified surveillance, aggressive patrols and intelligence-driven operations aimed at curbing crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other acts of economic sabotage within Nigeria’s maritime domain.