[By Abigail Philip David]
At least four vessels carrying a total of 123.4 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, arrived at Nigerian seaports between Friday, October 18, and Sunday, October 20. This is part of ongoing efforts to boost fuel supply across the country.
Documents obtained from the Nigerian Ports Authority on Sunday revealed that the vessels berthed at two seaports—Apapa in Lagos and Calabar in Cross River State—bringing in fuel to address current supply shortfalls.
This development aligns with previous reports that oil marketers are importing PMS to supplement the supply from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which is currently producing about 10 million litres of petrol daily, far below the 25 million litres it initially promised.
In September, similar imports totaling 141 million litres were made following an increase in petrol prices from the Dangote Refinery, as released by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). Marketers had noted that full deregulation of the downstream oil sector allowed for more PMS imports to meet domestic demand.
The recent shipments included 35,000 metric tonnes of PMS handled by West African Port Services, which berthed at the ASPM jetty on Friday morning, followed by 37,000 metric tonnes managed by Intership and another 10,000 metric tonnes handled by Peak Shipping later the same day. A fourth vessel carrying 10,000 metric tonnes arrived at the Eco Marine Terminal in Calabar on Sunday.
When contacted, George Ene-Ita, spokesperson for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, stated that marketers with approved import licenses are free to bring in PMS, provided the products pass rigorous testing protocols. The agency ensures that the products meet safety and quality standards before they are released for distribution.
Further discussions between oil marketers and the Dangote Refinery are expected to continue as stakeholders seek to stabilize fuel supply across Nigeria.
