- OPEC president forecasts oil price recovery in Q4
- Suspected militants kill three soldiers, seize military ammunition in Bayelsa
- Seriake appoints ex-militant to battle vandalism
By Ejiofor Alike in Abuja and Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa
As part of the efforts to address
frequent disruptions to the supply of crude oil to the Kaduna Refinery
and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) as a result of the Niger Delta
militancy, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is
considering importing crude oil from Chad and Niger Republic,
investigations by THISDAY have revealed.
This is coming as the President of the
Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Qatar’s Energy
Minister, Mohammed Al Sada, has stated that oil prices would rebound
during the third and fourth quarters of 2016.
NNPC, it was learnt, is also considering
the option of using railway transportation to move crude from the Niger
Delta to the refinery complex.
A top official of the NNPC, who spoke to
THISDAY on the condition of anonymity, disclosed yesterday that the
corporation might refit the Kaduna refinery to be able to process
Nigerien and Chadian crude grades, following the incessant attacks on
the pipelines that feed the plant with Nigerian Bonny Light crude.
According to him, the refinery was
originally designed to process Nigerian crude and foreign heavy crude at
the ratio of about 70:30.
“The original design capacity was 60,000
barrels per day of light crude. So in order to process paraffinic based
crude oil from Venezuela, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, the capacity was
later increased to 110,000bpd.
“So apart from having the capacity to
refine Bonny Light, the plant can also process heavy crude oil from
Kuwait, Lagomar crude from Venezuela, Arabian Light from Saudi Arabia
and Urals from Russia.
“But for it to refine crude from Chad or
Niger, the plant requires some form of refitting so that it can use
crude specification from those countries as well. The refitting does not
involve complex technology,” he explained.
Spokesman of NNPC, Mr. Garuba Deen
Muhammad did not respond when contacted by THISDAY, but the Public
Affairs Manager of KRPC, Mr. Idris Abdullahi confirmed that the options
of importing crude from Chad and Niger, as well as using rail lines were
actually being considered.
“We will choose from the two options but
it depends on the financial viability. The refinery had rail lines
right from inception. The rail lines were used to bring in materials and
equipment during its construction.
“They have never been used to transport
crude to the refineries. We get crude from Warri through the pipelines.
But we are now thinking of using the lines to bring in crude from the
Niger Delta because of the vandalism of the pipelines.
“The second option being considered is
importation from Niger and Chad. We are considering the two options and
the option we will choose will depend on the viability,” Abdullahi
explained.
Inadequate maintenance and vandalism of
crude oil pipelines have led to the sub-optimal performance of the
country’s 445,000bpd capacity refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and
Kaduna.
Barely one month after the Minister of
State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, had re-commissioned the 46-km
Escravos-Warri pipeline repaired by Ocean Marine Solution in April this
year, thus restoring crude oil supply to Warri and Kaduna refineries,
the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), which has claimed responsibility for a
series of attack on oil and gas assets, bombed the pipeline.
While Nigeria is battling with militancy
in the oil-producing region, Chad is facing the dreaded Boko Haram
insurgency and other security threats around its border with Nigeria,
Libya and the Central African Republic.
From a production capacity of around
100,000 barrels per day in 2014, Chad had set a target to increase
production from 130,000 bpd by the end of 2014 to 260,000 barrels per
day in 2016 from the Mangara and Badila oilfields, which are operated by
Glencore Xstrata, and another field managed by a subsidiary of China
National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).
Niger Republic had a set target of
increasing production from 20,000 barrels per day to 80,000 bpd in 2016,
with the country’s refinery consuming 20,000 bpd, while 60,000 bpd will
be exported through Cameroun and Chad.
A Nigerian delegation had in November
2011 represented former President Goodluck Jonathan when Niger Republic
inaugurated the 20,000 barrel-per-day Soraz refinery near Zinder, very
close to the Nigerian border.
The refinery is 60 per cent-owned by Chinese state oil company, CNPC and 40 per cent by Niger Republic.
In a related development, the President
of OPEC is forecasting that the price of crude oil will rise during the
third and fourth quarters of 2016, said a statement posted on the
cartel’s website.
“Expectation of higher crude oil demand
in the third and fourth quarters of 2016, coupled with decrease in
availability, is leading the analysts to conclude that the current bear
market is only temporary, and oil price would increase during later part
of 2016,” Al Sada said.
Militants Kill Soldiers
Meanwhile, suspected militants
yesterday ambushed a location of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Nembe
town, Bayelsa State, killing three soldiers and carting away several
arms and ammunition belonging to the security outfit.
During the incident which occurred at
about 9.30 a.m., the gunmen made away with military gunboats after they
sacked the operatives of the JTF stationed at the checkpoint in the
waterways of the state.
The checkpoint, it was gathered, is
located at the entrance of the community and has existed since the
outset of the armed agitation in the Niger Delta region.
The gunmen were reportedly disguised as
mourners in order to deceive the security operatives and let out several
gunshots on the unsuspecting officers, killing three instantly and
injuring several others, including civilians.
Many residents of the area, it was
gathered, became apprehensive when they heard the sound of gunshots
which unsettled the community during the surprise attack that lasted for
about 30 minutes.
The gang, which operated in several
gunboats, caught the soldiers unawares and left no chance for a quick
response, a source said.
A resident of the area said many people started fleeing for fear that the military might return for a reprisal attack.
“The attack was deadly and well planned.
Nobody had expected that such a thing would happen at such a time when
the jetties are busy with people preparing to go about their normal
business activities.
“I am sure even the soldiers did not
expect this to happen at that time. Some persons who were already
sailing out of Nembe said they saw the gunmen but dismissed them as
mourners because they were dressed in white robes,” he said.
The source further said that following
the incident, some residents in Nembe fled the community while others
locked themselves indoors following widespread fears of a reprisal.
It was learnt that the incident occurred
at the same military checkpoint where five soldiers were shot dead and
heavy guns carted away in November last year.
Officials of the state government were
said to have sent a delegation to the area while the JTF deployed more
men to the scene and on the trail of the violent gang.
A statement later yesterday by the
acting spokesman of the JTF, Lieutenant Commander A. Ahmed, said the
security operatives vowed to go on the offensive against the suspects.
“Some suspected gunmen believed to be
militants at about 10 a.m. on 8th of August 2016 attacked the 343
Artillery Regiment, a detachment of Operation Delta Safe deployed in the
Nembe jetty in Bayelsa State.
“During the incident, three soldiers
lost their lives. The commander of Operation Delta Safe, Rear Admiral
Joseph Okojie, has consequently deployed a reinforcement team to
apprehend the perpetrators of this heinous crime.
“He further warned that henceforth, Operation Delta Safe will go on the offensive to fish out all criminals in the region.
“It should be noted that the attack by
militants was as a result of the ongoing operations of the Joint Task
Force, Operation Delta Safe, aimed at flushing out all forms of
criminality, especially pipeline vandalism and the destruction of
illegal refineries within the region.
“The command wishes to assure the law
abiding public, particularly the Nembe community that Operation Delta
Safe is mandated to ensure conducive and safe water ways for legitimate
businesses in the joint operation areas”, the statement said.
Ex-militant Picked to Battle Vandalism
However, before yesterday’s attack
at the Nembe creek, the Bayelsa State Government at the weekend began
the implementation of its new strategy to end the menace of militancy,
pipeline vandalism, pirate attacks, kidnappings and other criminal
activities along the waterways and creeks of the state.
The governor of the state, Mr. Seriake
Dickson, inaugurated a former militant leader, Mr. Africanus Ukparasia,
popularly known as ‘General’ Africa, as the chairman of the state
Waterway Security Taskforce.
At the inaugural ceremony, which
reportedly took place at the Banquet Hall, Yenagoa, Dickson mandated the
taskforce to provide the security agencies with the required
intelligence to deal with criminals.
The ceremony which later moved to
Africa’s home attracted youths and leaders from different parts of the
state, including the state chairman of the All Progressives Congress
(APC), Chief Tiwe Oruminighe and the state secretary of the party, Mr.
Marlin Daniel.
In his remarks, Africa assured the
government of adequate security and intelligence gathering along the
waterways of the state. He said criminals would no longer be allowed to
take over the waterways to kill innocent people and subject travellers
and traders to untold hardship.
He warned sea robbers and other
criminals operating in the state to leave the creeks or face tough
times. Speaking on the choice of Africa, Oruminighe hailed Dickson for
the appointment and said though the ex-militant leader is a member of
APC, matters of security cut across party lines.
He said Dickson, a member of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), recently visited Buhari to seek ways of solving
the Niger Delta problem.
Culled from Thisday
