The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has detained a vessel, MT Bee, for carrying 17,000 tonnes of petroleum products without any valid cargo document.The Head, Public Relations, NIMASA, Mrs. Lami Tumaka, disclosed this in a statement in Lagos on Thursday.The statement said that the agency suspected foul play when the captain and crew declined to give access to NIMASA officials for routine Flag State Control check.It said that the development led the NIMASA team to call for reinforcement from the Maritime Guard Command before it could gain access to the vessel.Tumaka said in the statement, When NIMASA officials boarded the vessel, it was discovered that it was carrying 17,000 tonnes of different mixture of petroleum products without any form of documentation for the cargo.It was also discovered that the original name of the vessel was MT Beaver, which was different from the current name, MT Bee. We also discovered that the vessel had 25 crew members on board, 24 Philippines and only one Nigerian.The statement said that the vessel was taken to a designated anchorage with officers of the Nigerian Navy keeping watch over it on a 24-hour basis.We will ensure that the crew is well taken care of as provided for by the international laws, the statement said.It added that initial investigation confirmed that loading was done in Nigeria and Cotonou, Benin Republic, mainly at night by self-propelled barges.
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