The exact reasons for the ban on the list of 113 tankers from Nigerian waters and oil facilities remain after the NNPC issued a letter notifying of the ban.
It believed is that these ships may have been targeted due to a failure to provide official outturn figures at their last call and/or commercial differences between load and discharge figures for cargo and free water, but could also bepart of a general crackdown by President Buhari on corruption in Nigeria’s maritime, oil and gas industries.
In a letter to Gbenga O. Komolafe, group general manager, crude oil marketing division of NNPC, Intertanko general counsel Michael White said, “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.”
It noted that no reference was given to policies and requirements relating to the ban or evidence of why individual vessels had been banned.
The letter added: “Many of these vessels have not traded to Nigeria for a number of years; some have never been there. So their owners/operators find it difficult to understand what policies/requirements they have infringed.”
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