Oil & Energy

Crude Theft, A Rape On Nigeria’s Economy

Published

12 years ago

October 29, 2012

It is mostly referred to as oil bunkering while at other times the adjective “illegal” is added to make it explicit. But what aptly describes this act is “Theft” though still on a mild note considering how dastardly the act is.

Crude oil theft in Nigeria has been on the increase as it is estimated to have caused the country to lose about $7 billion (N1.13 trillion) annually. An average of about 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day is said to be stolen through pipelines hacking at different locations and varying sizes of ships are used to convey it to international market and sold there at a rather cheaper rate.

Journalists were earlier this year taken on a helicopter overfly across the Tora Mainfold, Santa Barbara River, SEGO Bille, Cawthorne Channel and Alakiri all in Rivers and Bayelsa States to confirm the thriving crude oil theft activities taking place at these locations.

“It is difficult to sustain production in the circumstances as we to have to shut down when a facility trips and fix the cause before restart. This happened three times just between the 26th and 30th of January”, an operator of the line explained to newsmen during the overfly.

Buttressing the number of barrels lost to these organised criminals, Shell’s Executive Vice President, Sub-Saharan Africa, Ian Craig told his audience during a technical session at the last Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference (NOG) that this incidence is at present costing Nigeria about 150,000 barrels of crude oil daily. This calls for concern as the neighbouring Ghana with its 120,000 barrels daily per day is making robust plans towards national development with enthusiasm while Nigeria is losing well over 120,000 barrels to oil thieves and no drastic action is taken.

In the same vein, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, had at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos raised an alarm saying about $5 billion (N810 billion) was spent in the last one year on pipeline repairs culminating to about $12 billion (N1.9 trillion) lost to oil thieves. A whooping amount such as this would have gone along way to address the pressing infrastructural development challenges that are affecting the growth of the economy if the menace is given the required attention.

It was reported recently that over 200 vessels were transacting illegal business on our territorial waters.

According to a top security official the report said these 200 vessels engaged in oil bunkering, illegal fishing, piracy and sea robbery among other vices.

And of course this nefarious activities are perpetrated by some unscrupulous Nigerians in connivance with some foreigners who infiltrate our territorial water ways.

In this colossal loss, the worst hit among the multinationals operating in the country is Shell, the nation’s largest upstream operator. The firm’s footprints traverse all parts of the Niger Delta region being the first oil major to begin exploration and exploitation of crude in the region.

Addressing media Executives in Port Harcourt Shell’s manager, Government & Community Relations, Fufeyin Funkakpo explained that the firm’s operations were divided into two regions; East and West using a river in the middle to dissect the operational regions.

According to Funkakpo the first is the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) which begins from Bonny Island cutting across Rumuekpe, Bayelsa, Egbema, Ebubu to Ogoni areas to Bomu and back to Bonny like a loop.

The second, he explained further is the Nembe Creek Coastal Trunkline (NCTL) that connects the flow stations in the Nembe areas through the famous Cawthorne Channel and ends in Bonny. The crude oil that accounts for 95 per cent of foreign earning which sustains 80 per cent of the national budget is mostly carried by the two pipelines.

These pipelines are regarded as the nation’s economic arteries as they help Nigeria to generate a GDP of $415 billion positioning it as the world’s 31st largest economy.

The nation’s foreign reserves which grew to $36 billion in the past year is attributed to these pipelines. This two livewires of the nation’s economy are the ones that are constantly under the attacks of oil thieves and whenever this rape was brought before the public domain government seems to turn deaf ear to it.

It is gathered that it has taken numerous steps to save these economic livewires of the country including the decision of the federal government to set up the JTF to the firm’s mulling the idea of technical solutions through pipeline alerts.

This, however, seems not to have yielded the desired fruits, as the Anglo-Datuch group, said last week that it may not meet the contractual obligations on certain exports from Nigeria because of theft and damage to key pipelines in the Niger Delta region.

Shell’s Nigerian joint venture (SPDCJV) declared force majeure on Bonny and forecados according to a statement by the company.

“Bonny loadings are affected as a result of production deferment caused by the fire incident on bunkering ship on the Bomu – Bonny Trunkline and production deferment from a third party producer because of flooding”, the statement said.

The firm noted that export from forcados were affected by damage caused by suspected bunkering on the trans forcados pipeline and the Brass creek trunkline.

Beside illegal bunkering, there is the official theft where it is alleged that Expert clearance Permit are fabricated.

According to a report, crude oil worth $1.6 billion with fabricated Export Clearance Permit was reported to be allegedly exported by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC).

A letter to the President which was attributed to Dr. Olusegun Aganga said a forged crude oil and gas Export Clearance Permit, No: CO/28/Vol.V111/09 that was purportedly issued by the Federal Ministry of trade and Investment to NNPC for shipment of 24 million barrels of crude oil and gas in the third quarter (July to September) 2012 was discovered.

The Minister explained that the matter was officially reported to the office of the Economic and Financial crimes commission (EFCC) for investigation and it was revealed during investigation that one of the permits was forged as it was not issued from his office and did not bear the security features that were built into the original permit forms.

Although, the management of NNPC dissociated itself from the allegation and described it as false and baseless.

NNPC said in a statement signed by the acting Group General Manager Public Affairs of the Corporation, Mr. Fidel Pepple, that all crude oil and gas exports by it follow a rigid and established guideline.

“We have always and continued to follow existing requirements for exporting crude oil and gas from the country. The process is complex and involves the Ministry of trade and Investment, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the DPR, and the Nigerian Customs Service”, Pepple noted.

Also worrisome is the high level of frauds going on in the oil and gas industry.

A recent report by the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force headed by Nuhu Ribadu revealed that Nigeria has lost out on tens of billions of dollars in oil and gas revenues over the last decades from cut price deals struck between multi-national oil companies and government officials.

The committee which was set up by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke in a confidential 146 – page report provided new revelation on the long history of corruption in the industry and highlighted that ; “Nigeria loses out on $29 bn on cut-price gas deals; state-oil company sells itself cheap oil and gas; oil ministers hand out discretionary oil licences; hundreds of millions in missing bonuses, royalties; traders buy crude oil without formal contracts.”

The report concluded that oil majors, Shell, Total and Eni made bumper profits from cut-price gas, while Nigerian oil Ministers handed out licences at their own discretion. This, while not illegal, did not follow best practice of using open bids.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in signature bonuses on those deals were also missing, the report said.

Oil & Energy

Hedge Funds Turn Bearish On Oil, Bullish On Natural Gas

Published

1 month ago

March 17, 2025

The Tide

Traders have not been this bearish on oil in months or so bullish on United States natural gas in years.
The latest data on money managers’ positioning in the WTI and Brent crude and U.S. natural gas futures showed two contrasting trends—speculators are betting that oil prices would remain low or go even lower while increasing the bets that natural gas prices would continue marching higher.
So far this year, geopolitical and supply and demand factors have been increasingly bearish for the oil price outlook and increasingly bullish for natural gas prices.
In the oil market, hedge funds and other portfolio managers have been slashing their bullish bets since the end of January, when the U.S. sanctions on Russia’s oil trade were the primary bullish driver of managed money to bet on a tightening market.
With U.S. President, Donald Trump, now in office, the sentiment has quickly soured amid the president’s insistence on lower oil prices, his efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine, and – most of all – the enormous uncertainty about on-and-off tariffs and tariff threats and their potential impact on the American economy.
As a result, market participants are preparing for lower oil prices, even amid expectations of declining oil supply from Iran and Venezuela due to President Trump’s hawkish policy toward these OPEC producers.
Speaking of OPEC, the wider OPEC+ group has just said it would begin increasing supply as of April, adding further downward pressure on prices.
Faced with all these bearish drivers, money managers have been reducing their bullish bets on crude oil futures, with the U.S. WTI Crude hitting the lowest net long position – the difference between bullish and bearish bets – in 15 years at the end of February.
In the week to March 4, the latest reporting week with data released on March 7, speculators bought WTI amid a major selloff in all other commodities except for U.S. natural gas.
The net long in WTI rebounded from the 15-year low, but it wasn’t because the market suddenly started betting on higher prices going forward. The rise in WTI buying and the net long was the result of short covering in the U.S. crude futures contract.
In Brent, hedge funds cut their bullish-only bets in the week to March 4 for the biggest decline in longs since July 2024.
Unlike in crude oil, money managers have become increasingly bullish on U.S. natural gas after inventories dipped this winter to below the five-year average as demand surged in the coldest winter for six years.
The net long in natural gas further swelled in the week to March 4, as the number of new bullish bets was four times higher than the new short positions.
“Natural gas continues to benefit from rising demand, both domestically in the US and towards exports via LNG,” Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank, said, commenting on the latest Commitment of Traders report.
At the start of the winter heating season in November, U.S. natural gas inventories were higher than average for the time of the year as America entered the season with stocks at their highest level since 2016.
These stocks, however, were quickly depleted during the coldest winter for six years, with demand for space heating and power generation soaring. A month before the end of the winter heating season, U.S. natural gas inventories have now slumped to below the five-year average and well below the levels from the same time in 2024, at the end of a mild winter.
The lower inventories and the higher demand – both for domestic consumption and LNG exports – have pushed prices higher, encouraging producers to boost gas output this year. Traders bet that prices will go even higher as demand from LNG plants is set to accelerate with the ramp-up of new U.S. export plants.
Paraskova writes for Oilprice.com.

By: Tsvetana Paraskova

Oil & Energy

Renaissance Finalises Acquisition Of SPDC

Published

1 month ago

March 17, 2025

The Tide

Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings says it has successfully completed the acquisition of 100 percent equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
Spokesperson of the company, Tony Okonedo, who disclosed this in a Press Release, Last Thursday, said Renaissance has completed all processes for the full transfer of ownership of SPDC to the consortium, adding that it will now operate as Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.
“Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings today announced that it has successfully completed the landmark transaction between itself and Shell for the acquisition of the entire (100%) equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
“This follows the signing of a sale and purchase agreement with Shell in January 2024 and obtaining all regulatory approvals required for the transaction. Going forward, SPDC will be renamed as ‘Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.
“Going forward, SPDC will be renamed as ‘Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited’.
“Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings is a consortium consisting of four successful Nigerian independent oil and gas companies: ND Western Limited, Aradel Holdings Plc. FIRST Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited and the Waltersmith Group, each with considerable operations experience in the Niger Delta, and Petrolin, an international energy company with global trading experience and a pan African outlook”, the statement reads.
Speaking on the acquisition, the Managing Director/CEO, Renaissance Africa Energy Holding,Tony Attah, said Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited has a vision to be the leading oil and gas producer in Africa and to help the continent achieve energy security.
Attah expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for its support and pledged the company’s commitment to the Petroleum Industry Act.
“We are extremely proud to have completed this strategic acquisition. The Renaissance vision is to be ‘Africa’s leading oil and gas company, enabling energy security and industrialization in a sustainable manner’.
“We and our shareholder companies are therefore pleased that the Federal Government has given the green light for this milestone acquisition in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act”, he said.
The CEO acknowledged the contributions of Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources, the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in facilitating the deal.
He said, “we extend our appreciation to the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, the CEO of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the CEO of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for their foresight and belief, paving the way for the rapid development of Nigeria’s vast oil and gas resources as strategic accelerator for the country’s industrial development”.
The Statement further revealed that Renaissance partner companies collectively have an asset base of more than $3 billion and currently safely produce approximately 100,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) from 12 oil mining leases and operate two functioning modular refineries in Nigeria’s Niger Delta.

Oil & Energy

Oil-Rich Communities Must End Infighting To Access Dev Funds – FG

Published

1 month ago

March 17, 2025

The Tide

The Federal Government has cautioned oil-rich communities against infighting and disruption of oil production, saying it could hinder their access to the Host Community Development Fund.
Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, made the appeal while speaking at the KEFFESO Stakeholders Forum, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Lokpobiri noted that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was enacted to bring stability to the oil sector and address longstanding grievances about underdevelopment in host communities.
He lamented, however, that internal disputes among stakeholders have made it difficult for these communities to access and utilize the funds meant for their development.
Lokpobiri insisted that host communities must overcome internal conflicts that hinder their access to the funds.
“This KEFFESO Stakeholders Forum is to see how host communities can maximize the benefits from the Host Communities Trust Funds as prescribed by the PIA.
“If oil production is disrupted, everyone loses — the Federal Government, oil companies, and the host communities themselves. That is why host communities must collaborate with the government and oil companies to ensure smooth operations” Lokpobiri stated.
The Minister called on Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs) in the Niger Delta to effectively utilize the 3% operational funds allocated to them under the PIA 2021 to drive sustainable development.
He further called that oil-producing communities should take ownership of the oil and gas facilities within their domains and work with relevant stakeholders to ensure sustainable benefits.
“As stakeholders who have their respective stakes in oil and gas operations in the country, we should work together to ensure that we maximize the benefits of oil and gas.”
The minister also emphasized the global push for cleaner energy, warning that the relevance of fossil fuels depends on their extraction and marketability.
“Don’t forget there is a global campaign against the continuation of production of fossil fuel.
“Fossil fuel will never go away. Fossil fuel will not have any value unless you bring it out of the ground or from the sea to the market, that is why we need this collaboration,” he said.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Omotsola Ogbe, reaffirmed the board’s commitment to leveraging the provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
Represented by the Board’s Director of Legal Services, Naboth Onyesoh, Ogbe noted that the NCDMB’s Community Content Guidelines were designed to ensure sustained community engagement as local content is prioritized throughout the oil and gas value chain.
Ogbe praised the KEFFESO Host Community Development Trust for its efforts in ensuring that oil revenues benefit local communities.
Also speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, First E & P, Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, described the KEFFESO Stakeholders Forum as a crucial platform for discussing and strategizing solutions to the challenges facing marginalized communities in the Niger Delta.
He reiterated the company’s commitment to fostering meaningful and sustainable development in the region.
The forum, themed “Envisioning Sustainable Community Development in Niger Delta Host Communities: Identifying Challenges and Actualising The PIA Paradigm Shift,” brought together key stakeholders to discuss strategies for maximising the benefits of the Petroleum Industry Act(PIA).