NNPC releases more damning data on the names of the vessels and load ports in Antwerp-Belgium from where the four oil trading firms shipped in contaminated fuel into the Nigerian Market.
You lied, Oando, MRS fight back
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has given details of how four oil trading firms allegedly imported adulterated Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol from Belgium.
Platforms Africa reports that the the affected suppliers accused of importation of the off-spec product under the Direct-Sale-Direct-Purchase (DSDP) are MRS, Oando, Duke Oil and Emadeb/Hyde.
Chief Executive Officer/ Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Mele 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.
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Kyari made the revelation 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.
However, the state-owned oil firm has reassured Nigerians of its capacity to restore sanity in the supply and distribution of quality petrol across the country within a short period.
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 listed the names of consortia, and of four cargoes and 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
MRS —MT Bow Pioneer — LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium
Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium —- MT Tom Hilde —- LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium
Oando — MT Elka Apollon — LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium
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 per cent 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).
Meanwhile, Oando and MRS have denied the allegation that they imported off-spec product into Nigeria.
Oando Plc, one of the ywo Nigerian oil companies on the list, rejected claims that it imported adulterated Premium Motor Spirit into the country.
The company denied any involvement in the ongoing controversy, describing the claims of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) as false and untrue.
Oando, in a statement released to the Nigerian Exchange Limited on Thursday, said denied the allegations, clarifying that its company would not partake in the importation, distribution, or marketing of substandard petroleum products.
The statement reads, “Following media reports listing Oando as one of four importers that supplied methanol-blended Premium Motor Spirits into the country, we hereby state that Oando did not import and supply PMS that was adulterated or substandard.
“The PMS supplied by Oando met Nigeria’s import specification. We are committed to working assiduously with the NNPC and industry to identify the root cause(s) of the subsequent contamination of the PMS supplied.
“We want to assure the public that Oando as a responsible corporate citizen would not partake in the importation, distribution, or marketing of substandard petroleum products.”
