The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, announced that fuel stations will be open longer hours to sell and distribute Premium Motor Spirit, or PMS, often known as petrol.
Given the current tight situation, it urged fuel stations to help increase product availability.
According to the NNPCL, the turnaround time for PMS trucking has been extended to alleviate the current issue.
Mr Dapo Segun, Executive Vice President, Downstream, stated this on Monday in Abuja during a joint inspection of stations by NNPCL officials and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA.
NAN stated that NNPCL and NMDPRA have launched a collaborative monitoring of fuel station supply and distribution in the FCT and across the country to guarantee that waits are eliminated.
According to NNPCL, gasoline lines in the FCT and other parts of the country are the result of disruptions in ship-to-ship (STS) fuel transfer between mother and daughter boats caused by recent thunderstorms.
It stated that bad weather conditions, such as rainstorms and lightning, had also impacted berthing at jetties, truck load-outs, and product transit to filling stations, disrupting station supply logistics.
During the inspection, Segun stated that there was a gap in the ship-to-shore discharge of PMS, which he described as a volatile liquid, and that it could not be discharged during thunderstorms, forcing ship-to-shore movement to be suspended.
“This also hindered truck loading at the depot for safety concerns, so we had to suspend everything during thunderstorms, which is why you notice the tightness.
“Though we face a difficulty with the terrible stretches of roads that have worsened owing to storms and flooding around the country, we will ensure that we load out all weekend and mobilize trucks.
“We are encouraging fuel stations to operate for extended hours and marketers to collaborate and share stock. Rather of having a station with more trucks, they can distribute them to other stations,” he explained.
