Fresh indications have emerged that an oil rig; Oritsejolomi which has been abandoned for about two years on Nigerian waters at Marina Jetty may be losing about US$120,000 per day for sitting idle.
Investigations by Shipping Position Daily revealed that the Nigeria-owned rig was impounded by the Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) as a result of debts owed a particular first generation bank (names withheld) by its owners.
Fresh indications have emerged that an oil rig; Oritsejolomi which has been abandoned for about two years on Nigerian waters at Marina Jetty may be losing about US$120,000 per day for sitting idle.
Investigations by Shipping Position Daily revealed that the Nigeria-owned rig was impounded by the Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) as a result of debts owed a particular first generation bank (names withheld) by its owners.
Even though he could not give the exact amount accruable to the Nigeria Ports Authourity (NPA) daily, General Manager Public Affairs of NPA; Captain Iheanacho Ebubeogu told our correspondent that the oil rig which has become a familiar sight in Marina, pays some money to the agency every day it sits in the waters.
"The rig was received by AMCON because the owners defaulted in payment. If you know what AMCON does, they receive defaulted investments where the government has invested and there is a default, AMCON receives it on behalf of government" he said.
When he was asked if NPA was collecting revenue from the rig for berthing at the jetty, he confirmed that the agency was collecting but that he could not give the exact figures.
But on his part, President of Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA); Capt Niyi Labinjo said that the oil rig could be losing as much as US$120,000 everyday it is idle.
"Let me give you a conservative idea of how much the rig is losing by berthing at the Marina, it can be placed in the neighbourhood of US$120,000 per day"
Explaining further, he said: "You will see that there is always light on-board the rig, and this means that people are always sleeping on-board, this means you must create a domestic situation for them to survive, bunkers, food, salaries, maintenance, because they are putting on the generator so there must be maintenance of some equipment"
"And because it is not generating any money, in addition to losing US$120,000per day, the rig owners are losing money to keep the crew on board"
He described the rig as a ship under arrest.
He however said that the bank could have put the rig to work in order to be able to realise the debts owed by the owners.
He lamented that these were some of the challenges confronting indigenous ship owners in Nigeria; he added that most people, especially the authorities do not know what it is to run a ship.
On his part, another stakeholder who is a former Executive Director of NIMASA, Engr. Oliver Ogbuagu described the continued berthing of the rig on Nigerian waters as a financial loss.
"Where the rig is anchored, they are paying for that space to NPA, if there are crew on board, they must get their full pay and nothing less, and they will be feeding as well, if you pass through the Marina at night you will see full light there"
"There are various types of rig, I have not been on board that particular rig but it is a very big rig" Ogbuagu said.
Apart from ascertaining the AMCON connection and ascertaining the identity of the commercial bank, efforts by our correspondents to dig further were futile as no one was willing to divulge more information.
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