Joint military operation arrests Nigerian ship

Tema, Nov 27, GNA - A Nigerian Oil Vessel, christened "African Prince," has been intercepted by a joint security surveillance of the Ghana Air Force and the Navy in Tema.

The vessel, which carried 5,200 metric tonnes of fuel was intercepted at about 15 nautical miles within Ghana's territorial waters. A military intelligence source which disclosed this to newsmen in Tema on Thursday, said the Nigerian Vessel which operates from Lagos to the Niger Delta, carried on board a 28-member crew made up of 22 Nigerians and six Palestinians.

The source alleged that the body of a 39-year old Nigerian Chief Cook, who was found dead on the vessel, had been deposited at the Police Hospital mortuary for autopsy.

The source indicated that the military had a tip-off from an International Marine Intelligence Agency called Personal and the Indemnity Club, of an alleged hijacking of the vessel.

The source said acting upon the tip-off, the Ghana Air Force managed to locate the ship, and informed the Ghana Navy which quickly dispatched two Naval Ships for an operation.

The source said upon the vessel's interception, it was detected that the consignment of fuel found on it was alleged to have been stolen from the Niger Delta in Nigeria, and was to be off-loaded in the sub-region. The source said upon interrogation, the crew claimed that the vessel was allegedly hijacked by 11 armed men off the coast of the country's water's. According to the source, before the arrival of the Ghana Navy, all the eleven suspected hijackers managed to escape in patrol boats. The source indicated that the ship was currently under tight security at the Tema Harbour Oil Berth Anchorage.

Meanwhile, the national security apparatus had conducted investigations to ascertain the ownership of the vessel, the source concluded.