The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has named the firms behind the importation of adulterated petrol into the country and the country of origin.
The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari, offered the insight late on Wednesday.
Speaking with newsmen late on Wednesday in Abuja, Kyari named the four importers that brought the fuel into the country from Antwerp in Belgium with quality inspectors failing to detect the high level of methanol it contained, first at the point of import in Belgium and at the point of arrival in Nigeria.
He said: “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 percent methanol content and therefore the additive was not detected by our quality inspectors.”
He said it was only on January 20, 2022 that the “NNPC received a report from our quality inspector on the presence of emulsion particles in PMS cargoes shipped to Nigeria from Antwerp-Belgium.
“NNPC investigation revealed the presence of Methanol in Four (4) PMS cargoes.”
On the companies involved in the importation of the adulterated PMS, Kyari listed them as MRS, Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium, Oando and Duke Oil.
While MRS used vessel MT Bow Pioneer, Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium imported the product via the vessel MT Tom Hilde, with Oando using vessel MT Elka Apollon, and Duke Oil MT Nord Gainer.
Kyaei said: “Cargoes quality certificates issued at load port (Antwerp-Belgium) by AmSpec Belgium indicate 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.
“As a standard practice for all PMS import to Nigeria, the cargoes were equally certified by inspection agent appointed by the Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has met Nigerian specification.
“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 Percent methanol content and therefore the additive was not detected by our quality inspectors.”
Kyari told Nigerians that there was no need for panic buying as the NNPC was already sourcing for cargoes to meet petrol demands, adding: “To prevent the distribution of the petrol, we have ordered the quarantine of all un-evacuated volumes and the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck and marine).”
He said the suppliers of the affected product had been “put on notice for remedial actions and NNPC will work with the authority to take further necessary actions in line with subsisting regulations”.
