ExxonMobil Corp., according to a letter of protest to the petroleum ministry, has been accused of participating in the illegal lifting of petroleum products from an offshore port by Nigeria’s downstream oil regulator.
Exxon refuted the charge and stated that its “operations are carried out in full compliance with the law” in an email response.
The transport ship Barumk Gas was lifting butane from the ExxonMobil-run Bonny River Terminal without the “authorization or participation” of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), according to the letter.
The only person permitted by law to possess a key to the oil valve is the regulator, and companies must be accompanied by a member of the regulatory team in order to tap the oil.
In a letter dated June 8, NMDPRA Chief Executive Farouk Ahmed stated, “The actions of ExxonMobil and Barumk Gas constitute economic sabotage, criminal damage, and theft of Nigeria’s national resources.”
He recommended halting the departure of Barumk Gas while an investigation was being carried out.
Barumk Gas was completely loaded at the Bonny Terminal, according to Refinitiv data.
Requests for comment from the NMDPRA and Petroleum Ministry went unanswered.
After authorities claimed that their supertanker was cruising in Nigerian waters without permission in November of last year, a Nigerian court charged 26 persons with conspiring to conduct a maritime offense and attempting to illegally traffic crude oil.
In the past, illicit pipeline tapping in Nigeria has led oil corporations to cease production.
