Transportation of Crude Oil in Nigeria

Abstract

This Research Work is Titled Transportation of Crude Oil in Nigeria. Crude oil is one actively traded commodity globally. It’s demand has been growing steadily over the decades. Oil and gas are essential commodities hence, requires reliable means by which they can be conveyed from the platforms to the consumers. This topic deserves increased attention, especially as the planet’s resources become more limited and areas grow more densely populated. As the earth’s abundance of oil gets increasingly scarce, it is crucial to explore the safety and efficiency of the various ways it is transported great distances. One of the sustainable and reliable means of conveying large quantities of oil and gas from one point to another is by purposely constructed pipelines. Pipeline transportation as a mode is crucial for the distribution of petroleum products in Nigeria. The mode has contributed immensely to the movement of crude oil and refined products across the country and for export. The contribution of this mode is, however, under threat from natural ruptures, vandalization, and suboptimal usage of pipelines. The constraints of other modes in the haulage of refined products over long distances provide a great challenge and opportunity for the pipeline mode to explore. Oil pipelines are no ordinary assets, and their security is of utmost importance especially in a country like Nigeria where oil pipelines are the major means of transporting crude oil. Nigeria relies on this means of transportation, which has been the victim of various physical attacks over the years by vandals and militant groups. This has affected the transportation of crude oil, which is the most important resource sustaining the Nigerian economy, putting it in jeopardy. It is against the backdrop of the crucial needs for the use of pipelines to convey petroleum products that this paper investigated the legal and social challenges of oil and gas pipelines in Nigeria. It found that, the laws and institutions responsible for governance of pipelines in Nigeria are defective and unsustainable. It has never been more imperative to critically weigh the benefits of each method as they relate to the economy, environment, and regard for human safety and respect.

Keywords: Transportation of Crude Oil, Challenges of Transportation, Bunkering, Pipeline Vandalism, Legal Framework for the Control of Crude Oil Transportation, Khalifa Binu Yahaya