By Enyeribe Anyanwu
Lagos
The Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA) has described as misleading, the recent announcement by the minister of petroleum resources, Mrs. Deizani Allison Madueke, concerning the granting of crude oil lifting rights for 2014 to 2015 term contracts to Nigerian oil traders.
The association said the minister conveyed the impression that indigenous shipping companies have been granted carriage rights for the crude since one of the conditions for granting the oil traders lifting rights is that they must work with Nigerian shipowners.
“But this condition was not observed, thereby conveying wrong impression that anything has changed regarding government’s attitude to the carriage of Nigerian crude oil,” President of the Nigerian Shipowners Association, Chief Isaac Jolapamo, said
Addressing news men at the MARAN Press Centre in Lagos yesterday, Jolapamo challenged the minister to publish the names of the oil traders granted the lifting rights alongside the Nigerian shipping companies they are working with in order to convince Nigerians that this is not another grand deception.
Chief Jolapamo said the oil traders have not complied with this condition as no Nigerian registered shipping company has been engaged by them. “As far as we know, no Nigerian registered shipping company has been engaged by the oil traders for the carriage.
“Part of the conditions for the rights to lift the Nigerian crude oil is that they must work with Nigerian shipowners for the carriage contract in order to develop the Nigerian shipping industry in particular and the Nigerian economy by creating employment for Nigerians.
He challenged the minister to review and publish the list of the successful Nigerian shipping companies alongside the Nigerian oil traders. It will be open to all to verify the existence of the shipping companies and to confirm that they are registered with NIMASA and the DPR.