EMEA News
INTERTANKO "Protests in the Strongest Possible Way" to Nigeria Tanker Ban
The International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO) says that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation's (NNPC's) ban on 113 oil tankers should be lifted immediately as "no evidence or grounds" have been provided for the action, Reuters reports.
"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," General Counsel Michele White wrote in a letter dated July 22.
Alex Vines, head of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, argues that the ban is politically motivated and said, "the timing of the ban is clearly a political signal to show the Buhari administration is clamping down on oil theft."
"The challenge now is for the Nigerian authorities to provide credible proof that these indexed vessels were engaged in illicit activities."
An investigation into a sample of 75 vessels on the banned vessel list has reportedly shown that only about 14 have been to Nigeria or surrounding countries within the last 180 days.
"Our current understanding 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," said White, who notes that the banned tanker list is still growing, and that some on the list have not called Nigeria in years, or at all.
"In others, the ship has changed ownership since her last call in Nigeria," said White
"Members have also advised that some oil majors are attempting to introduce charterparty clauses requiring the owner to warrant that the vessel is not subject to any Nigerian bans or restrictions due to failure to report any outturn figures for prior voyages."
Stephen Askins, of the shipping law firm Tatham Macinnes, suggest that "owners whose vessels are blacklisted will have to be careful that they do not commit to trading to Nigeria whilst the threat of detention hangs over them."
On Wednesday, it was reported that NNPC cited a crackdown on illegal crude oil trading as the reason for imposing an immediate ban on the movement of the 113 tankers.
