We Would Ensure Tank Fire Doesn’t Disrupt Fuel Supply

SAN FRANCISCO, November 09, (THEWILL) – The Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) has said the recent fire outbreak at the Lagos depot of one of its members, OVH Marketing Limited, will not cause product supply disruptions.

MOMAN, in a statement on Sunday, said that the fire, which broke out on Thursday at a PMS tank at the depot in Apapa, was contained and did not spread further, adding that it was totally extinguished with no fatality recorded.

It said OVH Marketing Limited immediately initiated its emergency response plan and activated the joint Emergency Response Plan, engaging MOMAN members with facilities in Apapa to assist the depot in containing, controlling, and extinguishing the fire.

THEWILL recalls that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Saturday, in a statement by the Head, Public Affairs, DPR, Paul Osu, said the fire was put out at about 7:55 a.m on Saturday by a combined team of firefighters.

Osu said from the regulatory agency’s preliminary report, all safety control measures to contain the fire, which was restricted to one tank, were swiftly activated by the company and other stakeholders.

The Chief Executive Officer, MOMAN, Mr Clement Isong, said the association’s HSEQ Committee and Apapa Operations and Logistics Committee would work with OVH Energy Marketing specialists and safety teams and the authorities to carry out a detailed investigation to identify the immediate and remote causes of the fire and share learnings with all stakeholders.

He said, “MOMAN, in collaboration with PPMC, has taken steps to ensure continuous supply of product to Lagos, its environs and across the country. We wish to assure members of the public that there shall be no product supply disruptions because of this event.

“One of the major reasons MOMAN advocates for the deregulation of the petroleum downstream sector is to ensure adequate margins to finance depot safety upgrades.

“Nonetheless, MOMAN, as an association, insists on internationally accepted safety standards and shared best practices in their self-regulation drive and cross-inspect members’ facilities and installations to meet these standards.

“MOMAN shall continue to collectively self-regulate within its membership with a view to ensuring continuous upgrade and update of safety equipment, practices, and standards.

“MOMAN remains committed to the sustainability and institutionalisation of a viable downstream petroleum industry for the social and economic growth of our country, Nigeria.”