According to Daily Nigerian on Tuesday, based on documents obtained, MRS imported fuel into Nigeria in February through the vessel ‘MT AETHER’.
The publication also said in separate letters dated March 4 and addressed to the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory (NMDPRA) and the CEO of Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the oil firm confirmed that it had purchased 91,219.232 Mt Vac (MTV) of unleaded petrol 91 research octane number (RON) from PETROCAM DMCC.
The letter was said to have been signed by Moyosola Kuku, MRS Oil’s general manager (GM) of risk management.
Unleaded petrol is a premium motor spirit (PMS) that has not been treated with a lead compound, which is included in petrol to serve as an ‘antiknock agent’ which improves the efficiency of vehicles and the performance of the engine.
Also, RON is a measure of petrol stability, and the higher an octane number is, the more stable the petrol, as the octane rating tells you how resistant the petrol is to detonation, known as knocking or pinking.
RON 91–94 is considered premium petrol.
Kuku said the product was loaded at the port of OPL MALTA, onto ‘MT AETHER’.
“We hereby confirm that MRS Oil and Gas Co. Ltd. purchased 91,219.232 Mt Vac of unleaded gasoline 91 Ron from PETROCAM DMCC, was loaded at the port of OPL Malta onto vessel MT AETHER with bill of lading dated 19/02/2024 as evidenced by the following documents attached, bill of lading, cargo manifest, certificate of origin, and certificate of quantity,” the letter reads.
“In line with the February 2024 spot gasoline supply contract, we subsequently sold full cargo on board MT AETHER [91.219.232 MTV] to NNPC for delivery offshore Lagos.
“We remain at your disposal for any further information you might require.”
Also, in another letter dated March 4, sent to the managing director of NNPC Trading Limited, MRS Oil and Gas confirmed the sale of full cargo on board MT AETHER to Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited for delivery offshore Lagos.
The letter was titled ‘Confirmation of Sale of Cargo to Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’.
“We MRS Oil and Gas Co. Ltd., hereby confirm that we sold full cargo on board MT AETHER (91,219.232 MTV) with bill of lading dated 19/02/2024 to NNPC for delivery offshore Lagos,” the letter reads.
“We remain at your disposal for any further information you might require.”
In July, a dispute occurred between Dangote and regulators when Farouk Ahmed, the CEO of NMDPRA, said local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, produce inferior products compared to the ones imported into the country.
On July 20, Dangote denied the allegations by testing diesel from his refinery when federal lawmakers visited the plant.
He also called for a probe into the allegations of the NMDPRA.
At the peak of the dispute, Dangote had revealed that some officials of NNPC and oil traders have blending plants in Malta, where they produce and import off-spec petroleum products that are brought to Nigeria for consumption.
Mele Kyari, the group CEO of NNPC, immediately denied Dangote’s claim, saying he did not have interest in any plant in Malta.
However, on August 16, TheCable reported that Abdulkabir Adisa Aliu, owner of Matrix Energy and member of the presidential economic coordination council (PECC), is also an importer from Malta.
In 2023, Nigeria’s petroleum importation from Malta surged significantly to $2.8 billion, compared to zero between 2017 and 2022, and a mere $13.32 million in 2016.
