The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) at the weekend in its enforcement of Nigerian laws served detention notices/orders on vessels belonging to/chartered by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (NLNG).
In a statement by Isichei Osamgbi, deputy director/head, public relations, NIMASA, this course of action was forced on NIMASA by the NLNG’s subsequent refusal or/and failure to abide by the outcome of the negotiated settlement arrived at through the mediation process it willingly instigated and subscribed to, after reaching an agreement with NIMASA on its outstanding debt and paying US$20 million out of it and its continued flagrant disregard for Nigerian laws.
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According to the statement, “Contrary to NLNG’s position, NIMASA is not aware of any court order against it or any suit brought by NLNG against NIMASA.”
“By its action, the NLNG has trivialised the mediation process and the position of the Federal Government of Nigeria whose Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) owns and holds 49 percent of the shares in NLNG and which endorsed the agreement reached that NLNG should pay its taxes/levies and observe all its obligations under the laws of Nigeria in which it is operating”.
