DPR arrests vessel with 1.5m litres of petrol

THE Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has arrested a vessel named MT JAZI loaded with 1. 5million of premium motto spirit (PMS) otherwise called petrol at Nakam Jetty, Kirikiri, Lagos.

Mr Mordecai Ladan, Director, DPR told journalists on Monday in Lagos that the vessel was intercepted on February 11 while discharging at Nakam jetty.

Ladan, who was represented by Mr Wole Akinmosoye, Zonal Operations Controllers, DPR, said that after much investigations by DPR, it was discovered that the vessel did not have DPR authorisation to deliver product at the depot.

According to him, “we proceeded immediately to halt the discharge sequel to which we discovered that the facility was stocking a total of 1.5million litres of petrol suspected to have been discharged by the vessel. The vessel is still under the custody of the Nigerian Navy for more investigation. We wish to reiterate that DPR has no record of any product importation by Nakam.

“We also have no record of any throughput arrangement of the facility with a third party for product storage at the time.”

Ladan said that the agency subsequently drew samples from the tanks at the facility for laboratory analyses, adding that it was confirmed that the product is actually off specification.

He said that the product failed all the basic parameters, especially in regards to lour, flashpoint and specific gravity.

The DPR boss said that the product being dumped at Nakam does not meet the standard specifications of any white product.

He said that the depot has been sealed by the agency since February 12 and the vessel MT JAZI was under Nigerian Navy custody, adding that the product would eventually be evacuated for quarantine by the appropriate government agency.

“We wish to use this medium to reiterate our position on zero tolerance for illegal activities in the depots across the nation and un-lading of off-spec product in the facilities. As we have always stressed, depot operators should be reminded that the agency will not tolerate landing of products of untraceable source at the depots,” he said.