“Mystery Supertanker From Nigeria Caught by US Navy — The Real Owner Will Leave You Speechless”
By Passman Akpos
A dramatic international maritime incident erupted this week after the United States Coast Guard, working alongside the US Navy, intercepted a Nigerian-owned supertanker, Skipper, over explosive allegations ranging from crude oil theft to piracy and transnational organised crime.
The 20-year-old Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), bearing IMO Number 9304667, is reportedly owned and managed by Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd, a Nigeria-based company. However, registry documents list its official owner as Triton Navigation Corp, headquartered in the Marshall Islands.
ILLEGAL FLAGGING DRAMA — GUYANA DISOWNS SHIP
One of the biggest red flags emerged when US authorities discovered the vessel was illegally flying the Guyanese flag.
In a swift and blunt rebuttal, Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) announced that Skipper is not on its national ship registry, had no authorisation to use its flag, and was essentially posing as a Guyanese vessel at the time of arrest.
HIGH-STAKES US OPERATION — TRUMP ANNOUNCES SEIZURE
According to US security officials, the operation was conducted under American law enforcement authority, with former President Donald Trump publicly announcing the bust.
Beyond suspicions of stolen crude, investigators are also probing claims that the vessel may have been involved in:
Transporting a major consignment of hard drugs
Operating within an alleged network backed by suspected Iranian and Islamist-linked financiers
Money-laundering activities spanning multiple jurisdictions
All allegations remain under investigation.
CAC RECORDS: OWNER INACTIVE, ADDRESS LISTED BUT NO CONTACTS
A search at Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) revealed Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd is currently inactive.
Further checks showed its address as 111 Jakpa Road, Effurun, Warri, Delta State, with CAC registration number 1007876. The company has no linked phone numbers.
‘A MAJOR EMBARRASSMENT TO NIGERIA’S PORT CONTROL’ — EXPERTS REACT
The seizure has triggered uproar in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
Engr. Akin Olaniyan, President of the Centre for Marine Surveyors, Nigeria, warned that if Skipper truly sailed out of Nigerian waters, then:
> “It suggests our Port State Control is practically non-existent.”
He cautioned that other nations may now subject Nigerian-origin vessels to harsher inspections.
OGSPAN President, Mazi Colman Obasi, expressed shock:
> “I have never heard of Nigeria owning a supertanker that is inactive in CAC. Government agencies need to do much more.”
SOAN President, Otunba Sola Adewumi, and former NIMASA DG Temisan Omatseye, both withheld comments pending more verified information.
NIMASA spokesperson Edward Osagie said the agency currently has no official report, urging that enquiries be formally submitted.
A Port Harcourt-based energy analyst added:
> “With the number of agencies involved in security, one would expect oil theft to drastically reduce. Yet here we are.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: NIGERIA’S $3.3 BILLION OIL THEFT CRISIS
The dramatic seizure comes amid damning revelations by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) that Nigeria lost 13.5 million barrels of crude oil — valued at $3.3 billion — to theft and sabotage between 2023 and 2024.
NEITI Executive Secretary, Dr. Ogbonnanya Orji, warned that the lost revenue could fund:
A full year of Nigeria’s federal health budget, or
Energy access for millions of households
He also revealed that over N1.5 trillion remains owed to the Federation by various companies and agencies.NEITI highlighted its expanded reforms, including:
Beneficial Ownership Register uncovering hidden extractive asset owners
Real-time open-data systems
New transparency partnerships with NUPRC, NMDPRA, NCDMB
A national Climate Accountability Framework
WHAT NEXT FOR ‘SKIPPER’?
As the US continues its investigations, the Skipper remains detained, its owners unreachable, and its true mission the subject of international scrutiny.
For now, the incident raises the most troubling question in Nigeria’s maritime space:
How did a massive supertanker allegedly linked to illegal activities sail past Nigerian authorities — with an inactive company behind it — only to be intercepted thousands of miles away by a foreign government?
The world is watching.
