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LequteMan
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Nigeria - The international oil vessel community has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse the ban on 113 ships loading oil products in the country's water borders.
NNPC issued a letter on July 15, citing a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari, which said the vessels, mainly VLCC crude oil tankers, were banned from calling at Nigerian crude oil terminals and also from Nigerian waters with immediate effect.
Read more about that: NNPC Bans 113 Vessels From Crude Oil Lifting in Nigeria
Industry association INTERTANKO, whose independent members own the majority of the world's tanker fleet, said in a letter to NNPC, dated July 22, that there were no "evidence or grounds" given for the ban.
"INTERTANKO protests in the strongest possible way that these bans should be lifted with immediate effect until grounds and evidence for the ban have been given to each vessel and vessel owner/operator, and the owner/operator has had an opportunity to respond," General Counsel Michele White wrote in the letter.
White said after INTERTANKO had spoken with its members in some cases the ship had not called in Nigeria for several years, or at all.
"In others, the ship has changed ownership since her last call in Nigeria," White said.
White also said the list of banned tankers was "not exhaustive and already further tankers are being added".
"The timing of the ban is clearly a political signal to show the Buhari administration is clamping down on oil theft," said Alex Vines, head of the Africa Programme at Chatham House.
"The challenge now is for the Nigerian authorities to provide credible proof that these indexed vessels were engaged in illicit activities."
A sample of 75 vessels on the list that Reuters tracked showed only around 14 had been to Nigeria or neighbouring countries in the last 180 days.
Source: Reuters
NNPC issued a letter on July 15, citing a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari, which said the vessels, mainly VLCC crude oil tankers, were banned from calling at Nigerian crude oil terminals and also from Nigerian waters with immediate effect.
Read more about that: NNPC Bans 113 Vessels From Crude Oil Lifting in Nigeria
Industry association INTERTANKO, whose independent members own the majority of the world's tanker fleet, said in a letter to NNPC, dated July 22, that there were no "evidence or grounds" given for the ban.
"INTERTANKO protests in the strongest possible way that these bans should be lifted with immediate effect until grounds and evidence for the ban have been given to each vessel and vessel owner/operator, and the owner/operator has had an opportunity to respond," General Counsel Michele White wrote in the letter.
White said after INTERTANKO had spoken with its members in some cases the ship had not called in Nigeria for several years, or at all.
"In others, the ship has changed ownership since her last call in Nigeria," White said.
White also said the list of banned tankers was "not exhaustive and already further tankers are being added".
"The timing of the ban is clearly a political signal to show the Buhari administration is clamping down on oil theft," said Alex Vines, head of the Africa Programme at Chatham House.
"The challenge now is for the Nigerian authorities to provide credible proof that these indexed vessels were engaged in illicit activities."
A sample of 75 vessels on the list that Reuters tracked showed only around 14 had been to Nigeria or neighbouring countries in the last 180 days.
Source: Reuters
