Ike Amos
24 December 2017, Sweetcrude, Abuja — The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Sunday, said it has secured expedited and speedy clearance processes for fuel vessels at all the seaports across the country.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Customs and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA are currently expediting the clearance of fuel vessels and anchorage services to facilitate speedy product transfers to various depots including during weekends and public holidays.
Baru also stated that the NNPC had commenced a 24-hour loading and sales operations at all depots and its mega stations across the country, adding that major marketers were also advised to carry out 24-hour operations, most of whom have been complying.
He said, “This has increased load-out from the depots significantly and continuous sales at the filling stations nationwide.”
He noted that in addition to the regular supply circle, the NNPC had programmed the delivery of additional 300 million liters in December 20l7 and January 2018 to beef up national reserves to 45 million liters per day, well above the normal consumption requirement of between 27 and 28 million liters per day.
He also declared that over the last two weeks, the national truck-out capacity had been beefed up to an average of l,500 trucks, about 52 million litres per day, which he explained, was higher than the normal consumption of 850 trucks per day.
Baru also stated that currently, 13 vessels, with an average capacity of 650 million litres are discharging the commodity at different ports across the country, while noting that three vessels with the commodity are coming in before the end of the week, bringing the combined quantity of the product in depots to 814 million litres of petrol till the end of the month.
He added that 14 shuttle tankers, with a combined capacity of 187 million litres of the commodity would also be discharging the product at various destinations across the country in the next three days.
To ensure the speedy resolution of the crisis, Baru disclosed that the NNPC had activated the ‘Fuel War Room’, comprising the NNPC, Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA and the Petroleum Equalisation Fund, PEF.
He said the team is tasked with the responsibility of coordinating all intervention activities for supply and distribution of PMS nationwide, adding that with the support of security agencies, the team, with the support of Security Agencies, was already working round the clock to ensure a speedy resolution of the current fuel situation.
He explained that with all these measures, and if full compliance is achieved, the crisis would end within the next two days, adding that efforts have been put in place to ensure the crisis did not go beyond this week.