P'Harcourt Refining Company blames tanker drivers for product loading delay – Newstrends
Connect with us

Business

P’Harcourt Refining Company blames tanker drivers for product loading delay

Published

3 weeks ago

on

P’Harcourt Refining Company blames tanker drivers for product loading delay

The Port Harcourt Refining Company, PHRC, and Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD, are at war over the overloading of products at the refinery.

While PHRC accused tanker drivers of being responsible for the low pace of loading of petroleum products at the facility, PTD, through its umbrella body, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, dismissed the allegation, saying the company was being economical with the truth..

Meanwhile, Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria, MEMAN, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets owners Association of Nigeria, PETROAN and National President, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, said they were ready to lift products and were working on it.

When Vanguard visited the Area 5 of the refinery, yesterday, about 3p.m., refining of petroleum products was ongoing.

A source in the facility said the refinery produces daily, adding that it has maintained its production status as disclosed earlier on Tuesday.

Also, at the loading bay of the refinery, three trucks were being loaded, while seven others were standing by within the bay to be loaded.

It was observed that of the 18 loading points in the facility, only three were in use.
It was further observed that only tankers with NNPC insignia were loading and seen within the premises of the refinery.

READ ALSO:

Although the facility was not bustling with life, activities were on going within the loading bay and the production area.

‘Loading hasn’t stopped since last Tuesday’

The Terminal Manager of Port Harcourt Refinery, Worlu Joel, disclosed that the Petroleum Products Marketing Company, PPMC, arm of the refinery was working and that loading of trucks has not stopped since Tuesday.

He noted that the facility has the capacity of loading 100 trucks in an hour, but that out of the 18 points, 11 were functional at the moment.

He said out of the 11, only three were being used because the facility was delivering optimally.

Joel said: “This is PPMC loading arm. We have 11 loading bays that are functional but because of the capacity, it has a huge capacity to deliver, so we are using three at the moment because it is efficient.

“Out of the three, each one has the capacity of loading three trucks in 15 minutes. A truck is 45,000 litres minimum. We have the ones of 60,000 litres. Already, we have loaded more than 10 trucks.

“So, before the close of work yesterday, just in the next one hour, we are going to evacuate minimum of 15 trucks.”

Joel said that there were enough products but that tankers drivers are not coming up to load, calling on tankers drivers to come on to load.

He said: “We have surplus products available. We have our loading arms operational and we have been begging them to come in since, yesterday but because today is weekend that is why they have not turned up.

“If you give us 100 trucks yesterday, we will evacuate it in less than five hours. So, it is not our problem if there are no loading trucks, it is the tanker drivers’ problem. We have been begging them since yesterday to come around and take the products but they didn’t turn up, it was just this morning (yesterday) after pleading with them that they came.”

 

P’Harcourt Refining Company blames tanker drivers for product loading delay

VANGUARD

Related Topics:
Advertisement

Railway

Lagos Rail Mass Transit part of FG free train ride – NRC

Published

15 hours ago

on

December 21, 2024

By

Lagos Rail Mass Transit part of FG free train ride – NRC

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has disclosed that the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) trains are included in the Federal Government’s free train ride initiative for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The LRMT, which currently includes the Phase 1 Blue Line Rail and the Phase 1 of the Red Line Rail, operates under the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).

This announcement was made by Ben Iloanusi, the Acting Managing Director of the NRC, during an interview on NTA News TV on Friday, following the launch of the initiative earlier that day.

While Iloanusi stated that Phase 1 of both the Blue Line and Red Line Rail projects are part of the program, LAMATA has yet to confirm this inclusion.

READ ALSO:

Iloanusi outlined the other routes benefiting from the scheme, which include the Lagos-Ibadan Train Service, Kaduna-Abuja Train Service, Warri-Itakpe Train Service, Port Harcourt-Aba Train Service, and the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Mass Transit in Lagos. Notably, little was previously known about the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Mass Transit service until this disclosure.

“Let me mention the routes where this free train service is happening. We have the Lagos-Ibadan Train Service, we have the Kaduna-Abuja Train Service, we have the Warri-Itakpe Train Service, we have the Lagos Rail Mass Transit trains, we have the Port Harcourt-Aba Train Service, and we have what we call the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Mass Transit, which is also in Lagos,” he stated.

Iloanusi provided operational updates, stating that passengers nationwide can access free tickets online or, for those unable to do so, at train stations where they will be profiled and validated.

He noted that passengers using NRC-managed services (excluding the Lagos Rail Mass Transit) should reserve tickets via the official website, www.nrc.gov.ng, with a valid ID required. He also advised travelers to plan, arrive on time, and bring valid identification.

Lagos Rail Mass Transit part of FG free train ride – NRC

Continue Reading

Business

NNPC denies claim of Port Harcourt refinery shutdown

Published

16 hours ago

on

December 21, 2024

By

Port Harcourt refinery

NNPC denies claim of Port Harcourt refinery shutdown

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has denied claims in media reports that the newly refurbished Port Harcourt refinery has shut down.

The national oil company denied the claim in a press release issued by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, on Saturday.

Soneye said the claim was false and urged Nigerians to disregard it. He stressed that the Port-Harcourt Refinery is fully operational.

READ ALSO:

The statement read, “The attention of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has been drawn to reports in a section of the media alleging that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery which was re-streamed two months ago has been shut down. 

“We wish to clarify that such reports are totally false as the refinery is fully operational as verified a few days ago by former Group Managing Directors of NNPC.”

He noted that preparation for the day’s loading operation is currently ongoing, and added that claims of the shutdown are “figments of the imagination of those who want to create artificial scarcity and rip-off Nigerians.”

NNPC denies claim of Port Harcourt refinery shutdown

Continue Reading

Business

CBN permits BDCs to buy up to $25,000 FX weekly from NFEM

Published

2 days ago

on

December 20, 2024

By

CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso

CBN permits BDCs to buy up to $25,000 FX weekly from NFEM

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted Bureau de Change (BDC) operators temporary permission to purchase up to $25,000 weekly in foreign exchange (FX) from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM). 

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted Bureau de Change (BDC) operators temporary permission to purchase up to $25,000 weekly in foreign exchange (FX) from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM). 

This move, detailed in a circular dated December 19, 2024, is designed to meet seasonal retail demand for FX during the holiday period. 

The circular was signed by T.G. Allu, on behalf of the Acting Director of the Trade and Exchange Department. 

The arrangement will be in effect from December 19, 2024, to January 30, 2025. 

Under the directive, BDCs may purchase FX from a single Authorized Dealer of their choice, provided they fully fund their accounts before accessing the market.  

Transactions to occur at the prevailing NFEM rate 

The transactions will occur at the prevailing NFEM rate, and BDCs are required to adhere to a maximum 1% spread when pricing FX for retail end-users.

READ ALSO:

All transactions conducted under this scheme must be reported to the CBN’s Trade and Exchange Department. 

The circular read in part:

“In order to meet expected seasonal demand for foreign exchange, the CBN is allowing a temporary access for all existing BDCs to the NFEM for the purchase of FX from Authorised Dealers, subject to a weekly cap of USD 25,000.00 (Twenty-five thousand dollars only).

This window will be open between December 19, 2024 to January 30, 2025. 

“BDC operators can purchase FX under this arrangement from only one Authorized Dealer of their choice and will be required to fully fund their account before accessing the market at the prevailing NFEM rate. All transactions with BDCs should be reported to the Trade and Exchange department, and a maximum spread of 1% is allowed on the pricing offered by BDCs to retail end-users.” 

The CBN assured the general public that PTA (Personal Travel Allowance) and BTA (Business Travel Allowance) remain available through banks for legitimate travel and business needs.”

These transactions are to be conducted at “market-determined exchange rates” within the NFEM framework.

This initiative reflects the CBN’s strategy to stabilize the FX market and manage seasonal surges in demand.

CBN permits BDCs to buy up to $25,000 FX weekly from NFEM

Continue Reading

Trending