London: The global tanker association, Intertanko, has demanded the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) overturn a ban that has hit 113 tankers.
The ban was handed down on July 15 as a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari, in what traders said could be part of efforts to crack down on illegal crude oil trading.
In a letter to Gbenga O. Komolafe, group general manager, crude oil marketing division of NNPC, Intertanko general counsel Michael White wrote, “Intertanko protests in the strongest possible way that these bans should be lifted with immediate effect until grounds and evidence for the ban have been given to each vessel and vessel owner/operator, and the owner/operator has had an opportunity to respond.”
White questioned why these particular ships had been banned, with many on the list having never even traded to the West African nation before.
“[O]wners/operators find it difficult to understand what policies/requirements they have infringed,” White wrote.