Monrovia – In continuation of ongoing investigations relating to the abandoned Vessel, Tamaya 1, in Grand Cape Mount County, three personalities have arrived into the country, among other things, to confirm the identity of the abandoned vessel.
The identities of these three persons include two of the four crew members, Omowho Bernard and Tomogho Oye Amaliri, and one Nigerian, Robert M. Saigha, the purported owner of the ship, who also claims to be one of the two shareholders in a company called H.G. Matic Resources limited based in Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
According to him, the company is engaged in the supply of petroleum products, marine logistics, Haulage, civil engineering and general contractual services.
These individuals, it must be emphasized, entered the country via the Roberts International Airport on Friday, May 13, 2016 onboard ARIK Air at their own volition and were never arrested.
They have since been cooperating with Liberian security institutions in furtherance of unraveling circumstances surrounding the vessel which drifted on the shores of Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County on May 3, 2016 at 5:00 pm.
This latest information contradicts wildcat speculations in some quarters that these personalities have been arrested by Liberian security personnel.
According to information which emanated from the man, claiming to be vessel’s owner, he bought the ship (PANAMA Registered) in Senegal through installment payments which began in 2015. Additional information revealed that the ship, prior to its transfer of ownership, had been used to transport groundnut oil from Senegal to Europe.
The ship set sail on April 22, 2016 from Dakar, Senegal for Nigeria and developed technical fault at sea. According to the chief engineer, Omowho Bernard, the ship started to leak from the engine room and all efforts to correct the situation failed.
Eventually the crew, including the Captain disembarked using Tamaya 1 (Life boat) to board a fishing boat which came to their rescue. The raft boat was later abandoned at sea and drifted to the coast of Edina, Grand Bassa County.
Investigation conducted by the Liberian Coast Guard(LCG) established that it was indeed one of the two life rafts ( boats) onboard the abandoned Panamanian Registered Nigerian Oil Tanker, Tamaya 1. The LCG has taken full possession of the life raft and has transferred same to a secured location.
In a related development Mr.Saigha explained that he was contacted about the distress at sea. He therefore contacted another fishing trawler to locate the abandoned Tamaya 1.
It was later established through contact via the fishing vessel that TAMAYA was found sinking in area 7 degree 07 North and 13 degree 08 degree East off Freetown, Sierra Leone towards Conakry, Guinea and subsequently drifted to Liberia.
The Joint Security, through the Ministry of National Defense assures the public that investigation regarding the abandoned Oil Tanker is still ongoing. As more information unfolds, the public will be duly notified.