The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), on Wednesday in Abuja called for collaboration between government agencies to check illegal oil bunkering in the country.
Mr Austine Olorunsola, the Director of DPR, made the call at the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) and Navy public hearing on illegal oil bunkering.
Olorunsola also called for the review of existing regulatory framework to provide stiffer penalties for oil thieves.
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), on Wednesday in Abuja called for collaboration between government agencies to check illegal oil bunkering in the country.
Mr Austine Olorunsola, the Director of DPR, made the call at the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) and Navy public hearing on illegal oil bunkering.
Olorunsola also called for the review of existing regulatory framework to provide stiffer penalties for oil thieves.
He said that necessary logistics support should be provided for relevant regulatory agencies to enable them to carry out effective monitoring of the maritime industry.
According to him, the department has ensured a regular statutory monitoring of all vessels registered by it.
“Since 2008 to date, 215 of such vessels have been and are being monitored and no records of involvement in illegal bunkering activities,” he said.
He disclosed that the department had licensed some oil companies to carry out bunkering activities in the country.
Olorunsola said that licenses issued to such companies had expired and had yet to be renewed pending Federal Government policy on bunkering, especially as diesel had been deregulated.
On his part, the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Engr. Omar Suleiman, emphasised the need to evolve security to effectively check illegal oil bunkering.
He said that Nigerian ports were not used as entry points for illegal oil bunkering, adding that not all jetties in the country were licensed by the agency.
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