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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A group of lawyers have petitioned the Senate over an alleged illegal oil lifting from the Ugo Ocha export terminal at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 42.
OML 42 is located in the swamps of western Niger Delta, comprising four flow stations with a combined production capacity of 30,000 barrels of oil per day operated by Neconde Energy Limited.
The lawyers through their counsel, OF Emmanuel & CO, in a letter to the Nigerian Senate dated September 21, and signed by the principal partner, Oluwatosin Emmanuel, called for probe on circumstances on how an average one million barrels of oil are being taken away monthly without accurate measurement due to the absence of meters at this export terminal.
The petitioners, while stating that Neconde has rebuffed all attempts to install a metering system known as LACT unit at the export terminal, also called for an investigation on why the company operates the terminal in violation of the federal government’s directive for accurate measurement at the export terminals.
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According to them, as of the time of the petition there are no meters at the Ugo Ocha export terminal to accurately determine the volumes of Nigeria’s crude oil sold to foreign buyers, stating that enormous amount of revenue – to the tune of $15,000,000.00 (Fifteen Million US Dollars) per month – accruable to the federal government of Nigeria could potentially be lost due to the absence of a functional measurement system for exported crude oil volumes at this terminal.
The petition further stated that though the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had recently placed a ban on all crude oil exports from Ugo Ocha, available information reveals that foreign tankers are being sighted lifting oil from the terminal.
They pleaded with the Senate ad hoc committee to come to the aid of Nigeria by ensuring that the ban on exports from the Ugo Ocha terminal is enforced until the operators are compelled to install a 1.25 million barrels per day LACT Unit (metering system) – which has already been manufactured, paid for, and approved by the government regulator (NUPRC) for the Ugo Ocha terminal.
The lawyers further prayed the Senate ad hoc committee to direct the Nigerian Navy to arrest and investigate the vessel MT COPPER SPIRIT over lifting oil at the Ugo Ocha terminal.
It also asked the ad-hoc to direct the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, (NMDPRA) and NUPRC to cancel all barging permits granted to operators at Ugo Ocha terminal until a LACT Unit is installed and commissioned and ordered the Nigeria Ports Authority to prohibit the movement of crude oil barges and tankers to and from the Ugo Ocha terminal.
