The long queues of anxious motorists at filling stations, which resurfaced in Abuja and some parts of the country since last Friday is as a result of logistics challenges experienced as a result of the disruption of the movement of imported stock of petroleum products to designated distribution points, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has said.
The Company explained in a statement on Monday that the disruption was recorded during the ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, between Mother Vessels and Daughter Vessels at the port as a result of the recent thunderstorm.
“The adverse weather condition has also affected berthing at jetties, truck load-outs and transportation of products to filling stations, causing a disruption in station supply logistics,” the company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, said in a statement in Abuja.
Soneye said due to flammability of petroleum products and in compliance with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) regulations, it became impossible to load petrol during rainstorms and lightning.
He said adherence to these regulations was mandatory for the operators in the fuel distribution value chain, as any deviation could pose severe danger to the trucks, filling stations and human lives.
Similarly, the NNPC spokesperson said the development was compounded by consequential flooding of truck routes which seriously constrained movement of PMS-lade trucks from the coastal corridors to the Federal Capital, Abuja.
He said the NNPC Ltd was working with relevant stakeholders to resolve the logistics challenges and restore seamless supply of petrol to affected areas as soon as possible.
“Already, loading has commenced in areas where these challenges have subsided, and we are hoping the situation will continue to improve in the coming days and full normalcy would be restored,” he said.
“The NNPC also calls on motorists to avoid panic buying and hoarding of petroleum products”, he added.