KEY POINTS
- A dispute of PHRC and PTD about slow loading operations includes accusations of absence of tanker drivers by PHRC.
- Denying these accusations, NUPENG says the tanker drivers load products on the strength of NARTO notifications.
- Marketers as MEMAN, PETROAN, and IPMAN claim to be ready to lift products from Port Harcourt Refinery and do business.
At the center of the unfortunate disagreement is the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) which flared for hours over delay in loading of petroleum products at the country’s premier refinery.
The PHRC blames tanker drivers for the slow pace of loading, but PTD, through its umbrella body, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), dismissed the allegations, saying PHRC is not telling the truth.
Miscommunication alleged in refinery operations
During a visit to the refinery, observers noticed that only three of the 18 available loading bays were in use while production was underway. However the refinery is capable of loading 100 trucks per hour the loading has been slower as people haven’t been coming in with the tanker drivers to load the products.
Worlu Joel, the Terminal Manager, said that the refinery has enough products to meet demand and that they had been making an appeal to tanker drivers to come and load products.
Even the fact that the facility could evacuate 100 trucks in less than five hours hadn’t helped, he said, because they didn’t have any drivers, especially over the weekend.
NUPENG’s response to the allegations
Afolabi Olawale, General secretary of NUPENG, however dismissed PHRC’s claims by saying that tanker drivers rely on notifications from Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners [(NARTO)], on availability of products for loading.
Olawale said the drivers are always ready to load product whenever and wherever products are available, but he said PHRC’s management were misrepresenting the situation.
Marketers ready for ‘ulpurged’ products
Major stakeholders in the industry including the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have all said they are ready to lift products from the Port Harcourt refinery depending on the operations.
According to MEMAN CEO Clement Isong, product supply sources would be explored, and PETROAN Chairman Billy Gillis Harry said the association had already applied to the refinery for business transactions.
Alhaji Abubakar Shettima, IPMAN National President, said they were happy with the reopening of the refinery but awaited NNPC’s pricing details before further steps.
Refinery restart backed by community
In addition, people around the Port Harcourt Refinery said they were happy that the facility had resumed operations.
Alesa Eleme Chief Security Officer Dibia Isaiah dismissed claims the refinery was not operating, saying local workers had already filled up several trucks. Nigerians were urged by Isaiah to ignore false information and to back the refinery’s management.
