NNPC explains reasons for current fuel scarcity as marketers set date queues will disappear

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) retail segment has disclosed that seven daughter vessels trapped is the reason behind the current fuel scarcity.

Huub Stokman, who made this known, stated that the vessels were carrying a combined total of 150 million litres of petrol.

The vessels were trapped on the high sea at the Escravos channel, which is an important oil terminal in the Niger Delta, resulting in a break in the supply chain.

This also led to a shortage of daughter vessels to move more than enough petroleum products from mother vessels to Nigerian jetties and terminals, BusinessDay says.

Stokman, doubles as the chairman of the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria, added that the challenges will continue due to Nigeria's supply chain.

He said: “The supply chain in Nigeria is very fragile at times. It’s very complicated, and there are only small things like bad weather or low tide that need to go wrong to cause some disruption.

“Five empty vessels expected to deliver fuel to the Warri area cannot get out of Escravos, while two vessels laden with products are waiting to go through the Escravos channel.

“This has lingered for a couple of days. This means if you have seven vessels carrying 150 million litres of PMS that can’t load again or bring in the next products, we will have disruption in the whole value chain.

"I hardly sleep these days because I am always worried about how to get fuel to go to work. I have to wake up as early as 4:30 am, prepare, and drive to the filling station to wait.

"If I don't do this, I will either buy from the black market at N1,100 or N1,200 per litre, or take a bus to work."

BEB