A former General Manager, Shipping and Terminal Operations, Crude Oil Marketing Division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Kon Bob-Manuel, has said that the inability of Nigerian vessels to comply with international standards has been preventing them from participating in the lifting of crude oil.
Bob-Manuel, in a telephone conversation with The PUNCH in Lagos on Monday, said that the crude oil market is an international business and one must comply with the international standard to be able to participate.
He said there was no law stopping Nigerian vessels from participating in the lifting of crude oil.
He stated, “The crude oil market is an international business that you must comply with international standards. But unfortunately, Nigerian vessels have not been very prominent in this compliance. You cannot buy a product from Nigeria to Belgium and begin with a Nigerian character in the operation. Maybe your radar is not working or you don’t have an official permit, thinking they should understand. These are some of the reasons that made the crude lifting be done by foreigners.
“It has appeared as if Nigerians are stopped from doing so. It is not totally so, but the reference is that business should be done in a business-like manner.
“But just like I said, there is no law saying that no Nigerian should participate in the oil lifting business. If you have a good vessel, they will go for you. But if your vessels are bad, nobody will like to come to you, after all, the shipping business is very expensive. We want fellow Nigerians to participate in the multiplier effect of the shipping business. In fact, there were times we used to go to the vessel to load crude oil only to discover that most of the caterers are Lebanese. We were not happy but if it was a Nigerian, he would try to cut corners. But I think all these things are being addressed now.”
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