News

NNPC reduces crude lifting firms
from 43 to 16

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) has reduced the number of companies
that will handle the contract of lifting Nigeria’s
crude from 43 to 16. The drastic reduction is part
of the Corporation’s transformation agenda aimed
at keeping its operation small, efficient,
transparent and reduction of cost.
NNPC spokesman, Ohi Alegbe said the decision is
a novel move to instill transparency
and accountability in the award of the annual
Crude Oil Term Contract for 2015/2016.
He said:
“NNPC yesterday mapped out measures to
execute the 2015/2016 award of contract
to companies for the evacuation of
Nigeria’s crude oil equity from the various
crude and condensate production
arrangements.”
In a statement, NNPC stated that it was part of
measures to optimise the marketing of Nigeria’s
crude oil and secure new market potentials. It
said the number of off-takers for the proposed
2015/2016 term contract which would emerge
after a planned rigorous competitive bid exercise
has been pruned from 43 to 16.
The statement read:
“In the days ahead, we shall place
advertisement for the 2015/2016 Term
Contracts and the publication will run for
one month in major National and
International print media to ensure effective
message penetration. Later the guidelines
for the selection of new off-takers would be
published and subsequently a special bid
evaluation committee would be constituted
to conduct due diligence on successful
applicants.”
He also stated that apart from Oando, Calson,
MRS, BP/Nigermed and Total Trading that were
earlier selected to bid for the new Offshore
Processing Agreement (OPA), invitation was also
extended to Forte Oil and Mobil to bid for the OPA
contract.
The Nation