MT Ocean Tiara Ship directed to leave KPA after KPC intercepted low-quality expensive oil

Kipevu oil terminal in Mombasa, KPA.

An oil tanker shipping 75 million litres of super petrol into the country has been held at the coast for nearly a month since arriving in the country on March 19, 2020.

The cargo ship, MT Ocean Tiara was directed back after Kenya Pipeline Company(KPC) officers on April 1, 2020, confirmed that the fuel in the tanker was low-quality.

A report by Daily Nation on Tuesday, April 14 indicated that the shipment, cargo numbers K07/2020 was imported by Asharami Synergy Limited, a subsidiary of a Nigerian oil conglomerate with interests in several countries within Africa.

“Again, when we sampled the cargo, we found that it had an FBP of 204 degrees Celsius and thus could not be allowed into the country,” a senior official at KPC who sought anonymity stated as is quoted by the publication.

If KPC would not have tested the fuel, then a huge volume of low-quality petrol would have entered the country and Kenyans would have paid high prices on low-quality oil. 

“We then asked the vessel to vacate the Kipevu oil terminal berth to give way to other vessels,” the official stated. However, the ship has since docked in the deep sea off Diani coast, with parties pushing for it to be cleared and dock back.