More facts have emerged on how adulterated fuel was imported into Nigeria by some oil marketers.
According to the Chief Executive Officer/ Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, some oil marketers imported methanol blended petrol in some Nigerian depots.
Kyari emphasized that defaulting suppliers have been put on notice for remedial actions and NNPC is working with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDRA) to take necessary actions in line with subsisting regulations.
Providing a graphic chronicle of the unfortunate incident, the NNPC CEO said that on 20th January 2022, the company received a report from its quality inspector on the presence of emulsion particles in PMS cargoes shipped to Nigeria from Antwerp-Belgium.
He explained that NNPC investigation revealed the presence of Methanol in four PMS cargoes imported by the following Direct-Sale-Direct-Purchase (DSDP) suppliers as listed in the table below.
Importer        Vessel Name        Load Port
1        MRS    —  MT Bow Pioneer   —  LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium
2        Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium       —- MT Tom Hilde       —- LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium
3        Oando            — MT Elka Apollon —           LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium
4        Duke Oil      —– MT Nord Gainer     —-LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium
He noted that cargoes quality certificates issued at loadport (Antwerp-Belgium) by AmSpec Belgium indicated 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,’’ he said.
Kyari noted that as a standard practice for all PMS import to Nigeria, the said cargoes were equally certified by inspection agent appointed by the NMDRA.
“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 stated . .
However, in order to prevent the distribution of the petrol, the NNPC CEO said the company promptly ordered the quarantine of all un-evacuated volumes and the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck & marine).