Amidst spreading petroleum products scarcity across the nation, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has accused various port security operatives of unduly delaying products-laden ships from discharging their cargoes.
The association consequently alleged that the emerging scarcity of petrol being experienced across the country was as a result of delayed clearance of ships laden with fuel on the high sea by the agencies.
Amidst spreading petroleum products scarcity across the nation, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has accused various port security operatives of unduly delaying products-laden ships from discharging their cargoes.
The association consequently alleged that the emerging scarcity of petrol being experienced across the country was as a result of delayed clearance of ships laden with fuel on the high sea by the agencies.
IPMAN consequently, in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday that the lingering fuel scarcity in the country might continue until when the security operatives improve on their clearance processes of ships.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed yesterday that, the delay affects at least five tankers, namely: Aegean Wave, Kriton, Androussa, Atlantic Olive Sea Pioneer, laden with about 105 metric tonnes of petroleum products.
Three of the ships; Aegean Wave, Kriton, Androussa are laden with petroleum.
Corroborating our findings, IPMAN noted that there was a huge number of awaiting cargo ships loaded with petroleum products in the high sea that are yet to be cleared by the security agencies.
The President of IPMAN, Abdulkadir Aminu, stated that until the process is hastened upon, the continued contraction caused by the prolonged and delayed cargo clearance processes would remain sources of continuous disruption in loading at various depots.
Aminu said: “In a situation where you have disruption for 24 hours, it will have a multiplier effect and it will result to five to seven days not to talk of when you have disruption for 3 to 5 days.”
Exonerating members of his association from the scarcity, he said: “I totally disagree with the insinuations that marketers are the ones hoarding the products at the filling stations.
“The real issue is in the high sea. Because to what extent can a marketer hoard the product in the filling station. In the high sea, we have 42 days sufficiency, so how can a marketer hoard.
“The situation we have today has to do with logistics. That is the operations at the jetties including the shore tanks because of the little problem we had one week ago, which was the contraction in supply.
The contraction was as a result of the ship to ship transfer on the high sea,” he said.
He further stated: “And I want to tell you that up to this moment, to the best of my knowledge, there are still delays in clearance of these ships from the high sea.
And these delays leads to other issues that cause disruption in loading at various depots across the country.”
According to him, the NNPC has made frantic efforts to ensure that all the tank farms are open for products discharge but the biggest challenge is the ship to ship transfer on the high sea and they have to be cleared before that exercise would be conducted.
Stating that the Nigeria Navy and other security agencies on the high sea have their own mode of operations as security officers, Aminu however noted that they can only explain better how they clear these vessels.
“To the best of my understanding, their delays in clearing the ships on the high sea is the cause of the problem that I know the nation is facing today.
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