A pilotage firm has uncovered how operators of oil service boats have been defrauding the Federal Government to the tune of millions of naira in the Warri Pilotage District of Delta State.

The firm, Escravos Ship Pilot Nigeria Ltd (ESPNL), which was recently contracted by the Federal Government, said operators of service boats have been evading presenting the mandatory “Master Declaration Chit” for signing to defraud the Federal Government, with an alleged compromise by some top officials of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Warri.

The pilotage operations of the firm, it was gathered, cover the channels between Escravos Fairway Bouy to Bennett Island, Escravos to Forcados River, Agge Anchorage to Ramos River, and adjoining Waters and Channels.

Under the contract agreement, “The Federal Government tasks ESPNL to conduct pilotage services on ships sailing out of Warri Pilotage District, and the services shall commence from Ramos/Agge Anchorage/Forcados River/Forcados Shoreline and disembark from the ship to Escravos Fairway/Forcados Offshore station not exceeding 10 nautical miles.”

Our reporter gathered that “while Intels is presently doing the monitoring, ESPNL is doing pilotage of oil service boats” in the pilotage district.

As a result, operators of all oil service boats within the operational area are mandated to sign/endorse their “Master Declaration Chit” showing the particulars of the ship, the owners, agents, cargo type as well as the gross registered tonnage, among others, in the course of any voyage undertaken, “for NPA’s record and for the safety of the vessel,” according to the Technical Director of ESPNL, Captain Charlie Tobi.

Captain Tobi, however, informed journalists in Warri that a sting operation carried out on operators of oil service boats in the firm’s mandate area revealed that the majority of them have not been presenting the mandatory documents, particularly “the Master Declaration Chit” for signing/endorsement.

Tobi further disclosed that “investigations by ESPNL revealed that the majority of the recalcitrant oil service boat operators have been colluding with unnamed NPA top officials who, in effect, have been letting them off the hook on issuing them what is known in the local parlance as ‘off record’, after receiving unspecified gratifications, thus diverting revenue due to the Federal Government to private pockets.

“This is one of the reasons why the Warri Port is poor,” Tobi declared while lamenting that “the bad eggs within the NPA have been sabotaging the good efforts of the Federal Government.”

In a bid to halt the sharp practices, ESPNL has protested the “ugly development” to the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Koko Bello, urging him to wade in urgently and sanction any ports official found culpable in the sharp practices.

The ESPNL’s protest letter dated 20^th December 2023, copies of which were made available to journalists partly reads: “We would like to bring forward to the management the above subject matter on Oil Service Boats/Tankers.

“They are referred to as off-record vessels. These practices were carried out by the previous Harbourmasters and were stopped by the management for contracting Escravos Warri Pilotage District to Escravos Ship Pilot Nigeria limited, Escravos.

“They are sabotaging management’s good efforts, and they are economic saboteurs. We cannot fold our arms and watch them continue this cruel habit.

“The management lacks funds to rebuild the Escravos Submerged Breakwaters, but these set of people are diverting the revenue that is supposed to come to the Nigerian Port Authority’s purse. Only revenue generating from Oil Service Boat is enough to rebuild the breakwaters.

“The Harbourmaster is supposed to fight for the interest of the Nigerian Ports Authority.

“We are appealing to the management to use its good offices to arrest this ugly act being carried out in this Harbour.”

Meanwhile, when contacted, a vessel owner who simply identified himself as Alhaji, owner of MV Whisky *9 Tug Boat, called for intensified sensitization among the oil service boats operators and other stakeholders, including maritime agents in Delta State.

Another vessel owner, Joseph Fuludo, who owns MV David Rhema, while speaking to journalists, admitted that the contractors that took over from Intels for oil service boats pilotage had not seen “Master Declaration Chit” for his vessels for four trips.

He urged NPA to “step up efforts in its clearance operations to checkmate sharp practices in the system,” adding that if a vessel is not cleared before going out, modalities ought to be put in place to cross-check at the signal stations along the route.

“Ordinarily, a vessel’s movement could be tracked from its point of departure en route its voyage till it berths at the jetty. It is not shipowners’ duty to do NPA’s job for them,” he submitted. (Nigerian Tribune)

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