Vincent Toritseju
Lagos — Owners of MT Heroic Idun, the rogue vessel that was arrested and prosecuted for criminal offences bordering on crude oil theft in the nation’s waters have tendered an apology to the Nigerian government over the conduct of the vessel and her crew.
Owners of the vessel issue the apology letter on Lloyd’s List on Friday May 12, 2023. The public apology is one of the conditions given by the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt for the release of the vessel and its crew that were arrested in August 2022 after a failed attempt to lift crude oil from Nigerian waters without clearance, and raising the false alarm that it was being pursued by pirates.
It is not clear if the vessel owners have met other conditions as set by the court including the payment of N5 million penalty for the charge and $15million as restitution to the country as at the time of filing this report.
The letter of apology reads, “The owners, on behalf of their vessel and crew, wish to publicly apologise to the Federal Government of Nigeria for that report and express their sincere regret for the difficulties presented to the navy and any embarrassment that may have resulted from this incident. At no time did the owners wish to undermine the reputation of the Nigerian navy or the efforts undertaken by the Nigerian Navy in countering piracy and oil theft in Nigerian waters.”
Follow us on twitter
