The crew of the VLCC HEROIC IDUN, who were accused of trying to steal oil from an offshore platform, have been released from detention in Nigeria after nearly nine months.
The chain of unfortunate incidents commenced on August 8th, when the 300,000 dwt tanker arrived at the Akpo offshore FPSO operated by CNOOC.
During its wait, the HEROIC IDUN was approached by the Gongola, a Nigerian Navy vessel. Due to a misunderstanding, the vessel’s captain believed the Gongola to be a pirate vessel and ordered the crew to retreat to the citadel.
Following the advice of the war risk insurers and managers, the ship was relocated 250 miles offshore and the incident was reported to the IMB.
Nevertheless, the Nigerian authorities interpreted the actions of the HEROIC IDUN as an attempt to evade lawful authorities and contacted the Guinean authorities to detain the vessel on charges of oil theft.
The Guinean authorities held the vessel until November, when it was handed over to Nigerian authorities.
The Nigerian prosecutors charged the crew of 26 with several offenses, including conspiring to commit a maritime offense, falsely claiming to be victims of a maritime offense, and attempting to engage in crude oil dealings within the Nigeria Exclusive Economic Zone without lawful authority.
On April 28th, a court in Port Harcourt ordered the release of the tanker’s crew, comprising eight Sri Lankans, 16 Indians, and a Filipino, along with the Polish chief engineer.
The owner was directed to pay a fine of $11,000, and the ship admitted to a maritime offense as part of the deal.
Additionally, the agreement also included a further payment of several million dollars.