The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has attributed the current fuel queues in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and some parts of the country to disruptions in the ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.
Mr. Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer at NNPC Ltd., addressed the development on Monday, explaining that recent thunderstorms had disrupted the STS transfer process between mother vessels and daughter vessels.
This adverse weather also affected berthing at jetties, truck load-outs, and the transportation of products to filling stations, causing significant supply chain disruptions.
“The NNPC Ltd. states that due to the flammability of petroleum products and in compliance with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) regulations, it was impossible to load petrol during rainstorms and lightning,” Soneye said.
“Adherence to these regulations is mandatory, as any deviation could pose severe danger to the trucks, filling stations, and human lives.”
Soneye further explained that the situation was compounded by flooding of truck routes, which has constrained the movement of PMS from the coastal corridors to the Federal Capital, Abuja.
Despite these challenges, NNPC Ltd. is actively working with relevant stakeholders to resolve the logistics issues and restore a seamless supply of petrol to the affected areas.
“Already, loading has commenced in areas where these challenges have subsided, and we are hoping that the situation will continue to improve in the coming days and full normalcy will be restored,” Soneye assured.
He urged motorists to avoid panic buying and warned fuel stations against hoarding petroleum products. However, due to the fresh fuel scarcity, many stations were not dispensing the product, causing hardship for motorists and leaving commuters stranded.
Along Kubwa Road, many fuel stations were not dispensing, except for Amassco and NIPCO at Kubwa second gate. Similarly, many fuel stations along the Nyanya-Karshi road did not have fuel except for NIPCO and AA Rano fuel stations, both experiencing long queues.
