The Sti-Symphony: Crew Feedback and Vessel Data

The oil tankers 'STI Symphony' and 'Velos Diamantis', which were loaded with gasoline in Antwerp, made the decision to return to their port of origin on February 2 and February 4, 2022, respectively. Initially en route to Lagos, Nigeria, these vessels turned back following the Nigerian government's rejection of several gasoline shipments from Antwerp due to excessive methanol content. Nigeria's state oil corporation, NNPC, reported that four tankers carrying gasoline deemed unusable had arrived from Belgium, loaded by Litasco, the trading division of Russia's Lukoil, and subsequently sold to local distributors. The fuel was discovered to contain unsustainable levels of methanol, leading to its removal from the market and subsequently triggering a fuel shortage. In response, NNPC has introduced a ban on methanol in future gasoline shipments, an issue that previously lacked specific regulations. To address the gap created by these rejected shipments, NNPC has also requested emergency supplies amounting to 500,000 tonnes. The 'STI Symphony' was chartered on January 15 to transport 90,000 tonnes of gasoline to Lagos, loading at Antwerp after arriving on January 16, and departed for Lagos on January 24. However, it made a U-turn off the coast of Guinea, redirecting back to the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp oil hub on February 2. Simultaneously, the 'Velos Diamantis', which carried 60,000 tonnes of gasoline and was chartered by Mercuria, also turned back to port, completing its U-turn on February 4.