The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) claimed on Thursday that four importers were responsible for bringing in petrol with a high methanol content into the country. ayokinews.com reports
Following the NNPC’s decision to stop the distribution of defective fuel, major Nigerian cities are experiencing fuel shortages. In the next days, the corporation said it will endeavor to restore normalcy in supply.
MRS, Oando, Duke Oil, and a partnership made up of Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U were responsible for bringing in the petrol, according to NNPC boss, Mele Kyari, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Garba Deen Muhammad.
The NNPC also released information on the vessels that were used to import the contaminated petrol. The cargos all came in from Antwerp, Belgium, according to the authority.
According to Kyari, quality certifications supplied by AmSpec Belgium at the Antwerp load port stated that the petrol met Nigerian criteria.
He noted that on January 20, the corporation got a report from its quality inspector indicating the presence of emulsion particles in PMS shipments sent from Antwerp to Nigeria.
Methanol was found in four PMS cargos imported by MRS, Oando, Duke Oil, and the Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U consortium, according to additional studies.
“The NNPC quality inspectors including GMO, SGS, GeoChem and G&G conducted tests before discharge also showed that the fuel met Nigerian specification,” Kyari said.
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Kyari stated that the cargoes were also approved by an inspection agent appointed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDRA), as is routine process for all PMS imports to Nigeria.
NMDRA said while methanol is a “regular additive in petrol and usually blended in an acceptable quantity,” it levels in the four cargoes shipped to the country were higher than Nigeria’s 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 & therefore the additive was not detected by our quality inspectors,” Kyari said.
However, the NNPC CEO stated that the corporation immediately ordered the quarantine of all un-evacuated volumes and the holding back of any concerned items in transit in order to avoid the distribution of the fuel.
All delinquent suppliers have been put on notice for corrective action, according to Kyari, and that NNPC and NMDRA would take additional appropriate steps in accordance with existing laws.
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