Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has moved to make clarifications over the controversy surrounding a ship, MT Haigui, which has been held at the Port of Mombasa since October 11.
Two importers are tussling over the ownership of a Sh17 billion diesel consignment, a dispute that has blocked a ship from offloading.
Marketing companies Galana Energies Limited and Aramco are reportedly each claiming to own the 100,000 metric tons of the said diesel.
In a statement, KPA Board Chairman Benjamin Tayari said information at their disposal shows MT Haigui loaded her cargo of gasoil totalling 93, 460 metric tonnes between September 20-28 at Yanbui-Samref terminal after which she departed for anchorage at Jeddah for cargo dopping and sampling.
He said on September 30, Mt Haugui departed Jeddah for Mombasa.
“Out of the manifested 93,460 metric tonnes of gasoil, 49, 091 was destined to Kenya with the shipper being Aramco Trading Fujairah as nominated by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum. The remainder being 44,3687 metric tonnes was transit cargo for neighbouring counties including Uganda, South Sudan and the DRC,” Tayari said.
He added that KPA has noted circulation of a purported original Bill of Lading of Ann’s (Anne Njeri Njoroge-an importer) who has claimed to be the shipper of all the cargo, the consignee of all the cargo and stated the cargo was loaded at Jeddah Islamic Port, Saudi Arabia on October 9, 2023.
“The voyage duration from Jeddah to Mombasa was 10 days and therefore it is impracticable for the vessel to have been loaded in Jeddah on October 9, 2023 yet she arrived in Mombasa on October 11, 2023,” the statement added.
KPA noted that for fuel imports, KPA and all other agencies involved are required to adhere to existing government-to-government arrangements.
“Therefore, KPA counterchecks a manifest submitted prior to a call to confirm that the International Oil Marketer (shipper) is duly appointed by the Ministry of Energy and that the consignees are licensed,”
A lawyer has since raised alarm over the alleged disappearance of Njoroge, a billionaire importer and exporter of products in the country.
Lawyer Cliff Ombeta on Saturday alleged Njoroge was summoned to the DCI headquarters in Nairobi on Thursday.
He however said he has not heard from her since.
“She is now missing for two days. She is unreachable and untraceable,” Ombeta told journalists in Mombasa.
According to Ombeta, he contacted officers investigating the case who denied knowledge of her disappearance or the summoning.
He claimed that two individuals took advantage of Njeri’s lack of an oil importing license to lay claim to ownership of the 100,000 metric tonnes of oil.
According to the lawyer, it all started on November 4, when the oil was in the high seas as Njeri sourced for a buyer for the oil before it could get into Kenya.
Ombeta said the ship ferrying the consignment had been blocked from leaving the dock and the diesel being offloaded until the ownership dispute was heard and determined.