The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has suspended service boats operations in all its pilotage districts until the full settlement of debts accruing from unpaid pilotage dues by IOCs and other beneficiaries of the services.
The new measure is coming just as the organisation indicated that it might prevent Engina FPSO, which is due to arrive Nigeria in January, 2018 from accessing the Nigerian waterways.
According to a statement signed by Abdullahi Goje, General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications at the NPA, the decision to stop the operation of service boats to debtor companies followed the failure or refusal of the affected companies to honour their obligations to the Authority in spite of several reminders over a couple of months.
The statement explained that given the fact that the companies, some of whose indebtedness run into tens of millions of dollars over a period of two years ignored the advice given by the NPA, the Authority had no choice but to pursue the new course of action, which the statement said had been communicated to all companies concerned.
