By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
The National Petroleum Authority has impounded two fuel tankers on suspicion of transporting illegal fuel loads. The two tankers are being held at a tanker yard at Kaase in the newly created Asokwa Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
According to Correspondent Nicholas Osei-Wusu, the arrest and seizure of the two fuel tankers came to the fore when the Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority, NPA, Dr. Mustapha Hamid, visited some entities whose operations are related to the mandate of the regulatory organization. When the NPA CEO and the Directors and his entourage got to the fuel tanker yard at Kaase in the newly created Asokwa Municipality, he was informed that two of the few tankers parked there had been impounded. The arrest of the two vehicles was effected Thursday, February 10, 2022, during a routine inspection of the vehicles that were brought there.
The tankers, with registration numbers WR 1295-17 and BA 200 Z, had different quantities of fuel load.
One was fully loaded with 54,000 litres of petrol, the other one had half load.
Speaking to journalists about the seizure of the two vehicles, Dr. Hamid said if the investigation confirms that the load in the tankers were illegally procured and a Court process will be used to confiscate the contents to the State, while the tankers will be permanently banned from being used in any downstream petroleum activity.
GBC News learnt that the investigation could last at least one week. Also, it was discovered that the fuel was being transported from Takoradi, but the destination was yet to be established.
Furthermore, the News team observed that none of the two impounded fuel tankers had any oil marketing company’s identity embossed for easy identification.
Earlier, Dr. Hamid visited another temporary fuel tanker terminal also at Kaase where a tanker fully loaded with petrol caught fire and exploded a day after the Appiatse incident. It was learnt that the terminal was a reserve for empty tankers getting ready to go to the Bulk Oil Storage Transport, BOST Yard for loading. Sources at the BOST depot say the tanker had earlier failed the integrity test when it went for loading at BOST, which baffles officials as to how it got fully loaded and why it found its way to the tanker waiting for terminal.
However, during the NPA CEO’s visit to the area, it was observed that the slum dwellers were rebuilding their homes. While some had completed their structures, others including women were busily reconstructing.