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In a significant development, two tankers, the 'STI Symphony' and 'Velos Diamantis', have been ordered to turn back to their loading port in Antwerp after Nigeria declined to accept their gasoline cargoes due to excessive methanol content. The 'STI Symphony', carrying a cargo of 90,000 tonnes of gasoline, was initially set to arrive in Lagos before making a U-turn off the coast of Guinea on February 2, 2022. This decision followed a broader rejection of four tankers loaded in Antwerp by Litasco, the trading division of Russia’s Lukoil, with local oil firm NNPC declaring the fuel unusable. In January, gasoline shipments from Belgium were found to exceed the acceptable methanol limit, leading to a shortage in Nigeria and the NNPC's decision to enforce a ban on methanol in future gasoline supplies, which had not been previously regulated. To address the resulting fuel crisis, NNPC is now seeking emergency supplies of 500,000 tonnes to replenish stock. The 'STI Symphony', which had embarked on its journey on January 24 after loading in Antwerp, turned around just prior to reaching its destination, while the 'Velos Diamantis', carrying 60,000 tonnes of gasoline and chartered by Mercuria, reversed course just two days later on February 4, after leaving port on February 2. Both vessels are now heading back to the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp oil trading hub, highlighting the repercussions of the methanol issue on maritime fuel transport.