The Federal Government has threatened to shut down operations at Chevron Warri Jetty within two weeks over the failure of the oil major to allow a government appointed stevedoring contractor work at the facility.
The plan to shut jetty, according to the Federal Government, is due to Chevron’s alleged disregard and refusal to grant access to stevedore services despite extant laws and standard procedures.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Magdalene Ajani revealed this at a meeting between Chevron Nigeria Limited, Bena-Franco, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and the National Inland Waterways (NIWA) at the Ministry in Abuja.
The Ministry in a statement by its Director of Press, Henshaw Ogubike, said it has the mandate to guide activities going on in the maritime sector and will act accordingly to protect that at all times.
Ajani notified Chevron representatives that the NPA as the master stevedore has assigned a stevedoring company in the last two years to the Warri jetty but has been denied access by Chevron.
She added that Chevron also avoided all meetings by the Ministry of Transportation and the National Stevedore Association to resolve the matter.
“You have the next two weeks to register this stevedore that has been assigned to you by the Federal Government of Nigeria to oversee what goes on at that jetty,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary further mandated the task force on private jetties to avail her evidence of approval granted to the company immediately following the inability of representatives of Chevron Nigeria Limited to substantiate the status of the operating license for the jetty.
She noted that failure to comply within the next two weeks will leave the Ministry with no option but to shut t
he jetty.
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