The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has reassured
Nigerians of its capacity to restore sanity in the supply and distribution of
quality Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol across the country
within a short period.
The Chief Executive Officer/ Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam
Mele Kyari made the pledge at the end of a meeting with some oil marketers to
resolve the issues generated by the recent supply and discharge of methanol
blended petrol in some Nigerian depots.
Kyari emphasized that defaulting suppliers have been put on notice for
remedial actions and NNPC is working with the Nigerian Midstream
and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDRA) to take necessary actions in line
with subsisting regulations.
Providing a graphic chronicle of the unfortunate incident, the NNPC CEO
said that on 20th January 2022,the company received a report from
its quality inspector on the presence of emulsion particles in PMS
cargoes shipped to Nigeria from Antwerp-Belgium.
He explained that NNPC investigation revealed the presence of Methanol
in four PMS cargoes imported by the following Direct-Sale-Direct-Purchase
(DSDP) suppliers as listed in the table below.
Importer Vessel Name
Load Port
1 MRS --- MT Bow Pioneer
--- LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium
2 Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium ----
MT Tom Hilde ---- LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium
3 Oando --- MT Elka Apollon --- LITASCO Terminal,
Antwerp-Belgium
4 Duke Oil ----- MT Nord Gainer ----LITASCO Terminal,
Antwerp-Belgium
He noted that cargoes quality certificates issued at loadport
(Antwerp-Belgium) by AmSpec Belgium indicated that the gasoline complied with
Nigerian Specification.
``The NNPC quality inspectors including GMO, SGS, GeoChem and G&G
conducted tests before discharge also showed that the gasoline met Nigerian
specification,’’ he said.
Kyari noted that as a standard practice for all PMS import to Nigeria,
the said cargoes were equally certified by inspection agent appointed by the
NMDRA.
``It is important to note that the usual quality inspection protocol
employed in both the load port in Belgium and our discharge ports in Nigeria do
not include the test for Percent methanol content and therefore the additive
was not detected by our quality inspectors’’ he stated . .
However, in order to prevent the distribution of the petrol, the NNPC
CEO said the company promptly ordered the quarantine of all un-evacuated
volumes and the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both
truck & marine).
Garba Deen Muhammad
Group General Manager
Group Public Affairs Division
Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd
NNPC Towers
Abuja
09.02.2022.
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