A petrol shipment linked to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has become the centre of a tense confrontation at TinCan Island Port in Lagos, after Nigeria Customs Service officers moved to stop the discharge of a vessel over alleged documentation breaches, triggering a physical standoff with security operatives at the terminal.
The vessel, MT Ny Maria, became the centre of a tense standoff on Wednesday after customs officials allegedly discovered that discharge operations had commenced without final clearance from the agency.
TheCable had earlier reported that customs personnel clashed physically with security operatives stationed at the terminal during efforts to halt the operation.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Oscar Ivara, spokesperson for the NCS TinCan command, said the vessel arrived from the refinery and was boarded by customs officers on May 23 for routine documentation and compliance procedures.
According to the statement, officers discovered that the vessel lacked complete documentation, specifically the mandatory last port clearance from the port of origin.
