By Tina Amanda
The Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, says its tactical operations have increased onshore crude production.
The outgoing Commander, Commodore Ibrahim Suleiman, who made the revelation during a send-forth in his honour, maintained that the tactical operations setup brought about transformation through which issues of illegal oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism were reduced drastically under his watch.
According to him, over one hundred and fifty suspects involved in oil theft and other illegal activities within the maritime domain of the State were arrested and handed over to relevant agencies for prosecution.
Commodore Suleiman noted that the achievement was based on the level of training acquired by the personnel under his administration.
He commended the Navy personnel for their efforts and other sister security agencies’ collaboration in ensuring the war against illegalities was won.
“I took charge of the NNS Pathfinder Command on March 31, 2022, since then we have collectively had to go through various transformations to enable us to meet contemporary challenges
“These changes include daily physical training, swimming, range classification and anti-attack drill. A tactical unit called Tactical Riverine Assault Squadron (TRAS) was created to stamp out riverine oil thieves.
“It is pertinent to state that this transformation did not come easy. They were the keys to the success of the Nigerian Navy and, in particular Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder in its fight against illegalities within the Maritime domain of Rivers State.
“The base was particularly instrumental in the increased onshore crude oil production with the incentive support and escort provided during the alternative crude barging operations.
“This, of course, would not have been possible without the collaboration of the Navy and oil companies.
“I appreciate the synergy the base enjoyed with other sister services and agencies. This has no doubt ensured the peaceful atmosphere being enjoyed in the State.
“The number of illegal cooking camps, the Cotonou boats is in the hundreds, and the number of arrests is over 150 persons. We have handed them over to relevant agencies for prosecution.”
