Authority in talks with NNPC on delivery of crude oil to refineries

The National Inland Waterways Authority ( NIWA) has initiated discussion with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC ) on how to deliver crude oil to the refineries through the waterways.

The acting Managing Director of NIWA, Mr Danaladi Ibrahim, told newsmen in Lokoja on Sunday that formal discussion with the management of the NNPC on the proposal would begin this week.

Danaladi said that NIWA was encouraged to initiate the proposal by the recent decision to stop the delivery of crude oil by trucks to the refineries in Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Warri.

He said that the NIWA was in a good stead to deliver crude oil through barges to the refineries, describing the option as cheaper, safe and environment friendly.

Ibrahim said that NIWA also had the capacity to deliver refined products through inland waterways to all the states except Katsina and Kano.

He said that the organisation had procured enough tugboats to drive the barges which were of varying capacities from 300 tonnes to 800 tonnes.