The Nigerian Navy has launched the Operation Delta Sanity II for increased aerial surveillance and to ensure continuous increase in Nigeria’s crude oil production to over 2 million barrels per day.
According to a statement on Tuesday by the NN’s spokesman, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, Operation DELTA SANITY II was flagged off on Monday, 30 December by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources – Oil, Senator Hieneken Lokpobiri, at Nigerian Navy Ship PATHFINDER, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.
It will be recalled that Operation DELTA SANITY I was launched by the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, in January 2024, as a major anti-crude oil theft operation with the deployment of personnel, patrol boats, helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on aggressive surveillance and interdiction operations across the Niger Delta area in line with the President and Commander-in-Chief’s directive to eradicate crude oil theft and ramp up Nigeria’s production for an improved economy.
Since then, the NN has recorded several success in its fight against crude oil theft in the country, with a total of 215 suspects and 26 vessels arrested while 468 illegal refinery sites were deactivated.
Also, an estimated 6.5million litres of stolen crude oil and 7 million litres of illegally refined Automated Gas Oil (AGO) were seized and appropriately handled. Furthermore, 361 wooden boats, 1,107 dugout pits and 279 storage tanks were deactivated.
In his remarks, Senator Lokpobiri confirmed that these successes contributed significantly to increasing Nigeria’s crude oil production to about 1.8million barrels per day. He commended the Nigerian Navy on this remarkable achievement and expressed optimism that more could be done.
On his part, the Chief of the Naval Staff stated that while Operation DELTA SANITY II would build on the successes of Operation DELTA SANITY I, it would involve increased aerial surveillance through improved deployment of Maritime Domain Awareness infrastructure, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Armed Attack Drones.
He added that the operation will also incorporate non-kinetic measures, improved collaboration with sister services, security agencies and all relevant stakeholders to ensure continuous increase in Nigeria’s crude oil production to over 2 million barrels per day.
The CN charged all participating Commands, Units and Establishments to strive towards realising the desired operational objectives of Operation DELTA SANITY II, and expressed his profound gratitude to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic for his unwavering support to the Nigerian Navy.
