Nigeria - List of Banned Crude Oil Tankers

Members may have seen reports referring to a Notice issued by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) listing 113 tankers which have been banned by the government of that country from loading at crude oil and gas terminals in Nigeria and from movements within Nigerian territorial waters.

At the present time it is unclear why the Nigerian government has taken such action, or for how long the ban will remain in force or what can be done to remove a banned tanker from the list. Moreover, a number of vessels in the summary appear to have been listed more than once or have changed ownership, and it would seem that some of them may not have visited Nigeria for several years, or indeed at all. Intertanko has contacted NNPC to voice its objections to the ban in the strongest possible terms.

In the meantime we are grateful to Tatham Macinnes for allowing us to reproduce a useful article Nigeria's Blacklisting of Crude Oil Tankers they have prepared regarding the potential legal implications for tankers calling at Nigerian ports.

Members requiring further guidance should contact the Managers.