The Nigerian Navy has uncovered a concealed illegal fuel storage facility containing about 11,800 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) in Rivers State as part of its ongoing anti-crude oil theft operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, the discovery was made by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER during sustained operations against crude oil theft and illegal oil bunkering within its area of responsibility.
The statement said the Base Anti-Crude Oil Theft Team confirmed that the hidden facility contained 125 sacks filled with products suspected to be illegally refined AGO.
The Navy noted that the site was believed to have served as a storage point for illegally refined petroleum products awaiting distribution, underscoring the continued activities of criminal networks involved in illicit fuel trade in the Niger Delta.
It added that the recovered products were handled in line with established anti-crude oil theft procedures, denying economic saboteurs another logistics base supporting illegal petroleum activities.
The Navy said the operation reflected its sustained efforts to dismantle infrastructure facilitating crude oil theft and illegal refining by targeting concealed storage locations and disrupting illicit supply chains.
It reaffirmed its commitment to intelligence-driven operations under Operation DELTA SENTINEL to combat crude oil theft, disrupt illegal petroleum distribution networks, and protect Nigeria’s maritime environment.
