The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Tin Can Island Port Command, has said a vessel discharging petroleum products at the MRS terminal in Lagos acted illegally after it was sealed over incomplete documentation.
The vessel, Mt Ny Maria, carrying 81,200 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), arrived from the Lekki Deep Seaport on May 23 and berthed at Dantata Jetty, popularly known as MRS.
Customs officers reportedly stopped the discharge operation on the same day the vessel berthed.
The Guardian reports indicated that the petrol cargo was loaded from the Dangote Refinery and that the vessel had already undergone port, Customs and immigration clearance before discharge operations commenced.
Speaking on the development, the Public Relations Officer of the Tin Can Island Port Command, Oscar Ivara, denied allegations that Customs officers attempted to arrest the vessel captain.
Ivara explained that the vessel was subjected to routine Customs checks after arriving from Lekki Deep Seaport, during which officers from the boarding and rummaging unit discovered incomplete documentation.
According to him, one of the key missing documents was the “last port clearance”, a mandatory document required for vessels moving between Nigerian ports.
“The vessel came from Lekki to Tin Can port without the complete documents. The most important among them was the last port clearance, which should have been issued at Lekki before departure,” Ivara said.
He added that Customs officers also demanded evidence of temporary importation documents, including bond papers and proof of duty payment, but the vessel’s representatives allegedly failed to provide them.
“As a result, the enforcement unit gave them two days to regularise the documents, but the agent never returned,” he stated.
Ivara further alleged that Customs later received intelligence reports indicating that the sealed vessel had already begun discharging cargo at the MRS terminal without authorisation.
“Our enforcement officers were alerted that the vessel we had sealed was already discharging cargo illegally. Before any discharge operation, Customs must issue what is called ‘break bulk’ authority. That approval was never granted,” he said.
The Customs spokesperson also claimed that officers attempting to halt the operation were resisted by security personnel stationed at the terminal, including mobile police officers and private security guards.
“On getting there, our officers were denied entry. There was serious resistance at the gate and a push-and-pull situation ensued while our officers attempted to stop the illegal discharge,” he explained.
Ivara further alleged that Customs officers faced obstruction again while attempting to leave the terminal after resealing the vessel.
“They blocked the gate again while our officers were exiting. The officers were attacked by security personnel, but fortunately nobody was injured,” he added.
Reacting to claims that Customs officials attempted to arrest the vessel captain, Ivara dismissed the allegation as false and inconsistent with international maritime practice.
“It is an international offence to attempt to arrest a captain onboard a vessel. The officers involved are experienced and understand maritime procedures very well. That narrative is completely false,” he stated.
He also denied allegations that Customs officials demanded money from the vessel operators, insisting that the enforcement action followed directives from the office that initially sealed the vessel due to documentation irregularities.
On ownership of the cargo, Ivara said he could not immediately confirm whether the petrol belonged to the Dangote Refinery, although preliminary information suggested the vessel may have departed from the refinery.
