Nine ships carrying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel, are currently waiting on the open sea in order to berth at the Lagos ports despite the country’s ongoing fuel crisis.
Even though gasoline is now available for between N170 and 260 at filling stations all around the nation, some stores are still closed due to a scarcity of stock.
The nine ships More West, Rich Harvest, Proodos, Flagship Sage, Stena Imprimis, Super Ruby, Alfred Temile, Laperouse, and Maestro are waiting at the Lagos anchorage as Customs has not yet released them for an onward journey, according to Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) data obtained by The Guardian.
They were marked CRNAPP, which stands for Customs Release Not Applicable, suggesting that the delay may not be unrelated to the tedious documentation process used by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) (West Coast).
Additionally, it was discovered that 26 more ships carrying, among other things, general cargo, PMS, fish, sugar, salt, and soy beans are anticipated at the Lagos Pilotage District between now and January 3rd, 2023.
The independent petroleum marketers, who had previously expressed their disappointment with the price parity, have since made an appeal to the government, particularly the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), to make the products available to them at a fair price. In the meantime, there are still lines at filling stations.
Additionally, the domestic airlines operating in Nigeria under the auspices of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have issued a warning regarding the shortage of aviation fuel, also known as JETA1, stating that it may result in delays to aircraft operations.
Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, the AON’s spokesman, said in a statement that the shortage would compel airlines to reschedule flights, which could result in some operations being delayed or cancelled.
It said that the unanticipated development hurt airline operators and the industry, particularly during this period of high travel volume for the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.
