SNACC unearths contaminated oil shipment

By: Yousof al-Jumery and Isam al-Bahri
Translated by: Fadwah al-Ariqi Revised by: Mahmoud Assamiee SANA'A, August 31 (Saba)
- The
Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption (SNACC), in coordination with
the concerned authorities, conducted investigations to confirm the credibility of a
report
on the contaminated benzene shipment imported by Aden Refineries Company.
The SNACC's investigations proved that the shipment was contaminated with MTBE
substance which is prohibited in Yemen and several world countries for its fatal
danger on
environment.
"The investigations procedures was carried out after receiving a notification on
the contaminated shipment last May in several governorates," said a report issued
by the
SNACC's information sector over the authority's achievements during the last few
months of this year. The report made it clear that the authority formed a joint
team from
related authorities, SNACC, Central Organization for Control and Auditing (COCA),
National Security and an expert from Mareb Refineries. The team is in charge of
studying
and bringing all the available documents related to the case. It is also
responsible to conduct field visits, identifying the source of the contaminated
shipment and reasons
behind its contamination.The team is to count damages caused to the public and
private funds and other damages, as well as providing detailed report includes all
the needed
documents, especially after discovering the authenticity of notification.The
authority has studied all documents before hands and directed to carry out field
visits to a
number of oil facilities, with the help of specialized expert, to take several
samples from that shipment to be examined.
The investigation proved the contamination of the Benzene shipment, the report
clarified."Although Aden refinery has been insisting on Yemen Oil Company the safety
of the
imported shipment and fits the international specifications, the studies verified
the converse," said the report." Aden refinery imported in April 25 a shipment of
unleaded
petrol (high octane No. 91) from the Independent Kuwaiti company (TPG) with the
equivalent of YR 2,600 billion."Accordingly, the field study recorded irregularities
and observations
committed during implementing the tenders and importing procedures. Aden Refinery
Company (ARC) prepared special specifications for the mentioned shipment which was
incompatible
with those imported previously. Also the refinery ,for the first time, added 1% of
the Oxygen to the Benzene shipment without doing any technical examinations.The ARC
conducted
the purchase via broker companies engaged in the field of selling and purchasing of
oil derivatives not from the main sources, the refineries and companies of oil
producing
countries. This violation added to the public budget a burden of commission and
profits for the broker companies."Through examining and amending the shipment's
documents,
it appeared that the source of the shipment was unknown, in addition the procurement
documents were not ratified by Yemeni Embassy and chamber of commerce," goes the
report.
"These procedures were to be examined for checking the authenticity of the
documents, particularly the certificate of the examining company, the bill of
loading and packing
list and the failure to clarify the components of the Oxygenate in the intermediary
company's documents." Instead of examining each element separately, the company
only
said that the percentage of the Oxygenate was % 10,38 despite the substance has
not been studied by ARC which means lack of ordinary technical equipments for
examining
and confirmation the delivered shipment with the one agreed upon.According to the
report, the team affirmed that the contaminated shipment contained the (MTBE)
substance
which is prohibited to be used in Yemen for its fatal dangers on environment, mostly
after stop using it for its highly toxic and its non- dissolution items. The MTBE
substance,
even with low concentrations, pollutes water if it leaks into it and makes it not
suitable for use, even their concentration is low (20-30 parts per billion).For that
regard,
many refineries worked to transfer its production units to produce another substance
to replace that one.
On the international level, no one anymore is still producing this substance as a
substitute for the lead substance which any leaking of this substance pollutes the
groundwater
as well as surface water and is not used in Benzene in the countries which depends
on these two water sources.The authority authorized another team to study the
health damages
caused by the contaminated Benzene shipment in the light of a memorandum submitted
by the director of Al-Sabahha Oil Facility in the 9th of June 2009 to the director
of commercial
affairs at the Oil Company, according to the SNACC's information sector's report.
The report showed that the team made sure, after making the field visits to the oil
facility, of the authenticity of the director's memorandum. So that the studies
held
Aden refinery responsible for dealing with contaminated shipment which poured into
the markets in May 2009. In addition to health effects there are financial and
environment
losses. The report emphasized on the continuation of the investigations in this case
in order to be submitted to the legislation bodies.In reference to the case of the
fuel
oil imported from Saudi Arabia, the report said that the SNACC investigations on
Bitumen shipment, which was imported from Saudi Arabia revealed the shipment was
imported
to be used as fuel for the cement factories contained a lot of illegal
manipulations, tricks and faults ." The investigation's findings showed that this
substance entered
Yemen under the name of Bitumen through several traders and oil tankers' owners and
selling it here as fuel oil. This substance is bought from Saudi Arabia from shops
selling
waterproof materials under Yemenis names either as Bitumen oil or as used oils as it
was fuel oil." The dealers pretended that the shipments are Bitumen because the
fuel
oil is supported by the government and it is prohibited to be exported out of the
country, for that reason they change the substance's name to be taken out of the
country.The
Parliament recommended, during discussing and approving the 2009 general budget of
the state, preventing the entrance and use of Bitumen substance in the country for
its
bad effects on health economy and environment. The Finance Minister implemented the
Parliament's recommendations and directed the head of the customs to generalize all
the
outlets not to allow this substance to enter the country.
The branch of the Yemen Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control Organization
(YSMO) at al-Tiwal outlet lacks the technical labs, the thing which facilitates the
flowing
of this substance via it.By the end of April 2009, a trader tried to penetrate 35
oil tankers carrying Bitumen where al-Tiwal customs administration refused to give
him the
permission to enter these oil tankers to the country for exporting the shipment
under the name of Bitumen. When customs authority examine the shipment and found it
was dangerous,
the trader asked for the permission to enter these oil tankers to al-Saleef Port to
be exported via this port to the country of origin. The customs agreed upon his
request
but till now the oil tankers still laying at the port and have not exported yet. Now
the trader is demanding concerned authorities to help him get it into the country
as
mazot.
At the same time, SNACC took some samples from four oil tankers laying at Haradh
customs department and others taken from Bajel cement factory in addition to
samples taken
from two oil tankers belonging to another dealer during their unloading their
shipment at Bajel cement factory's tanks. All the results of the examined samples
showed that
they were not fit the international specifications of mazot wither in its intensity
or high concentration of sulfur substances internationally approved for industrial
use.On
these bases, the authority has made a number of measures, the most significant one
is informing Prime Minister on dangers of entering any unexamined shipment of oil
derivatives.
The authority also addressed the customs authority to re-export the 35 tankers
stopped in al-Saleef port and committing the trader to return them to Saudi Arabia
and reporting
to the SNACC on that.The authority also addressed Bajel Cement Factory to use the
mazot fits international specifications and not to repeat the previous mistake.
According to the report, the Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption
opened a file for investigating the case and the investigations are going on in
preparations
to refer the case to justice.The report showed the authority has conducted last July
16 in investigation into corruption crime, three of Sa'ada's local water
corporation's
leadership demanded and took bribes, besides another person not from the corporation
who accepted the demand of the three and wrote the cheque of the bribe. This person
helped the three accused to be camouflaged against criminal accountability, despite
he already knew this practice is against law.The report indicated that this person
has
been arrested while he was receiving the cash included the bribe cheque estimated
at YR 5 million and then the authority referred the case file to the prosecution of
public
funds.The SNACC's report noted that the authority has prepared a study on the
offset of ministers exploiting their posts as monitors of institutions and companies
and using
their budgets to cover some of their demands."The study revealed that some ministers
exploits their posts… and issue directives to get funds to cover some expenditures
mainly
included in their ministries' budgets," said the report which said these
practices have negative effects on current and investment activities of these
bodies.