Months after the Nigerian Ports Authority placed embargo on construction of new tank farms in Lagos and directed that all such efforts should shift to other parts of the country and even as its agency sets to begin a comprehensive audit of the existing tank farms in Lagos, there are strong indications that the already congested Ibru yard which plays host to many of the tank farms in Lagos may yet accommodate more depots as the construction of another facility is currently ongoing in the area.
Tilling and excavation activities are already ongoing at the site which is very close to the Total tank farm along the Apapa expressway by Coconut bus stop.
Even though it was not possible to get reactions to the development from the owners of the complex as at press time, Shipping Position Weekly correspondent however gathered from operators around the area that the site for the new tank farm was sold by owners of the Ibru yard to the highest bidder who has decided to float another oil depot in the area.
Prior to the sale, the spot used to be the popular Ibru warehouse and cold room from where frozen fishes, shrimps and other produce are stored before being transferred to the market.
The identity of the owners of the soon-to-takeoff depot is simply given as Danko Petroleum Limited which according to sources is owned by a prominent oil marketer whose operations had hitherto been based in Port Harcourt.
It would be recalled that the House of Representatives committee on downstream led by its chairman Honourable Clever Ikesipo had few months ago visited the tank farms in the vicinity and had lamented the standard and condition of some of the facilities in Lagos, saying that majority of them are not up to standard in addition to not being compliant to environmental requirements
The lawmakers had pointed out specifically that “some of the tank farms are of standard while some of them are of very poor standard and are not even up to some very good filling stations built in some areas of the country. Some of the depots are so congested, some the environment alone can not even allow you go into the tank farm, I know of one that is so water logged that those who cannot swim cannot go close to it”.
However, some of the marketers who spoke to our correspondent last week confirmed this development that “the place was sold to Danko petroleum services, the owner use to be an NNPC man who use to collect product before from Ibachem in the yard here, and I was told he has other operations based in Port Harcourt but he does not have a depot there”, a marketer disclosed.
“We don’t know yet what he intends to store in the tanks when it’s completed maybe its AGO, PMS or DPK and we don’t know what it will be called, it must have been approved by DPR, if not work will not be on going” he said.
Another marketer Boniface Okoye who reacted to the development says “to me, my feeling about it is that I think government should focus more on our epileptic refineries and ensure that they are working, constructing more depot is like we are encouraging the importation of products and want more tanks to spring.
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