Nigeria Announces Offshore Oil Worker Restrictions to Battle Coronavirus
Nigeria's petroleum regulator has ordered oil and gas companies to reduce their offshore workforce and move to 28-day staff rotations as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to a circular seen by Reuters.Health experts fear a widespread outbreak in Africa's most populous country, which has about 200 million inhabitants, and the country is keen to protect oil production, which provides 90% of much-needed foreign exchange.A coronavirus case on an offshore rig could spread quickly among workers and have a potentially devastating impact on production.Sarki Auwalu…
Unfair Reporting on Piracy, Says Nigeria
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has called on the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) to ensure fairness and balance in its reportage of piracy issues on Nigeria’s territorial waters.Dakuku regretted what he called the exaggeration of reports on incidences on the country’s waterways by the IMB, a specialised department of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) dedicated to fighting maritime crime and malpractice.The DG noted that the Agency had put mechanisms in place to reduce piracy to the barest minimum. These, he said, include investing in the satellite surveillance system…
Vitol's New Bunkering Partnership in Nigerian Waters
International oil trader Vitol Group (Vitol) has started a new bunkering operation in Nigerian waters with shipping and logistics firm PPP FM Bunkers (PPPFM), supported by the Secure Anchorage Area (SAA) West Africa. Nigeria's PPPFM is fully licensed by that country's Department of Petroleum Resources, according to Vitol. "Fully licensed by the Department of Petroleum Resources, PPPFM entered into an agreement with Vitol to be able to guarantee clients the best quality bunker fuels in the West African region," explained Vitol in the announcement. Bunkers are supplied to clients utilising PPPFM’s bunkering vessels / barges with all operations protected by the Secure Anchorage Area team…
Navy Releases Two Ships to Owners
The Nigerian Navy handed over two ships arrested for oil bunkering in 2003 on the order of the presidency following a court ruling, according to a report on AllAfrica.com. But the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command , Commodore John Kpokpogri who handed over the ships - Mt Tina and Mt Glory on behalf of the Chief of Naval staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye gave the owners 24 hours to remove the ships from the territorial waters or face the full weight of the law. Kpokpogri made it clear to the ship owners, Petrostar Shipping Company that the Navy, in fulfilling its statutory function, would still arrest the ships if found to be engaging in unwholesome activities.
