The United States Coast Guard, working alongside the US Navy, has detained a Nigerian-owned supertanker named Skipper over allegations of crude oil theft, piracy, and other cross-border criminal activities.
The 20-year-old Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), identified by IMO number 9304667, is said to be operated by Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd., a Nigerian company. However, official records list its registered owner as Triton Navigation Corp. in the Marshall Islands. Investigators also noted that the tanker was illegally sailing under the Guyanese flag, despite not being recognised on Guyana’s ship registry.
Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) quickly clarified that the vessel was never authorised to use its national flag.
US security officials revealed that the seizure was carried out under American jurisdiction, with President Donald Trump publicly confirming the operation. In addition to suspicion of stolen crude, the vessel is being probed for allegedly conveying hard drugs and participating in a syndicate backed by suspected Iranian and Islamist-linked money-laundering networks.
A search at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) showed that Thomarose Global Ventures is currently inactive, with no functional contact details listed. The company’s address is registered as 111 Jakpa Road, Effurun, Warri, Delta State, with CAC number 1007876.
The President of the Centre for Marine Surveyors of Nigeria, Engr. Akin Olaniyan, said the development raises concerns about Nigeria’s Port State Control systems.
“If the vessel actually sailed out of Nigeria, that means our Port State Control is almost non-functional,” he said. “Other countries may begin to scrutinise vessels from Nigeria more aggressively. This is not about Nigeria as a nation, but about poor enforcement.”
Similarly, the National President of the Oil and Gas Service Providers Association of Nigeria (OGSPAN), Mazi Colman Obasi, expressed surprise over the existence of such a vessel allegedly owned by a Nigerian company that is inactive in CAC records.
Meanwhile, the President of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Otunba Sola Adewumi, said he needed more information before commenting on the matter. Former NIMASA Director-General Temisan Omatseye also said it was too early for him to give a detailed response.
NIMASA’s spokesman, Edward Osagie, said the agency had not yet received official communication on the incident, but requested an enquiry for proper follow-up.
A Port Harcourt-based energy analyst described the development as disappointing, saying the continued rise of crude theft undermines Nigeria’s economy despite government and private sector involvement in security operations.
“No country can grow if its citizens consistently steal its main source of foreign exchange,” he said.
Nigeria lost $3.3bn to crude theft in one year — NEITI
In October, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) revealed that the country lost 13.5 million barrels of crude oil valued at $3.3 billion to theft and pipeline sabotage between 2023 and 2024.
At the 2025 NAEC Conference in Lagos, NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Ogbonnanya Orji, said the lost funds could have financed a full year of the national health budget or expanded energy access for millions.
He added that:
Nigeria earned $23.04 billion in 2021 and $23.05 billion in 2022 from oil and gas.
About ₦1.5 trillion is still owed to the Federation by companies and government agencies.
NEITI has expanded beyond auditing to promoting governance reforms, including ownership transparency and industry data access.
