‘We didn’t import off-spec petrol’ — Brittania-U joins Oando, MRS in denial game

Brittania-U, an oil marketer, has denied involvement in the recent importation of off-spec petrol into the country.

On Wednesday, Mele Kyari, group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, listed Brittania-U among suppliers that imported cargoes of methanol-blended petrol into the country.

The Emadeb-led consortium also singled out Brittania-U, which was an initial member of the group, as being solely liable for the importation of off-spec petrol.

But in a statement on Friday, the company refuted the allegation, saying its vessels imported premium motor spirit (PMS) that was duly certified as meeting NNPC product specifications.

“The consortium product that arrived and discharged during Jan. 4 to Jan. 19, 2022 through five daughter vessels were duly certified as meeting NNPC product specifications,” the statement reads.

It added that PMS from its mother vessel named ‘MT Torm Hilde’ was discharged with relevant certificates of quality after laboratory analysis.

Brittania-U said the petrol it imported was adjudged lead-free, ethanol-free, water-free and suspended matter-free.

It stated that its products had sulphur content of 0.0174 as against 0.05, which is within the acceptable content allowed by Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

“We therefore wish to state categorically “that we never imported off-spec products ”, as claimed in publications making the rounds, as our imported products were all as per NNPC product quality requirements, so to state otherwise will be unfair,” the statement reads.

“Brittania-U is concerned that while its consortium products have been discharged and dispensed at retail outlets in January, it is unwittingly now being linked with an issue of off-spec fuel induced scarcity that began around Monday, Feb. 7, 2022.

“In order to clear our company’s name, we have made all the documents available, which clearly exonerated our company from the negative publications making the rounds, all aimed at trying to tarnish our image.”

The statement added that “Brittania-U management is aware of the publication by Emadeb/Hyde/Aymaikifi Consortium partners and while we do not want to join issues with these companies, we want to affirm that what they stated does not relate to the issues at hand.

“Suffice it to state that Brittania-U’s record in the oil and gas industry, which covers the entire spectrum of upstream, midstream and downstream is impeccable.”

The off-spec PMS, was detected in the country on Monday, throwing major cities including Lagos and Abuja into a petrol scarcity crisis.

Three fuel suppliers named by the NNPC GMD –MRS, Emadeb-led consortium, Brittania-U and Oando – have denied importing the off-spec PMS.

President Muhammadu Buhari had announced that importers of off-spec petrol would be held accountable.