CHAIRMAN of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Senator Magnus Abe, on Sunday, said the neglect of the pipelines in the distribution of petroleum products could have been responsible for the tanker fire which consumed over 130 people in Ahoada, Rivers State, last week.

The senator, in a statement, said the Federal Government needed to rethink haulage of petroleum products by tankers, as the system was fraught with untold dangers.

According to him, the tanker fire which killed almost 130 people was an avoidable incident, adding that the Federal Government could no longer afford to ignore investment in pipeline infrastructure to transport petroleum products.

The lawmaker said transportation of petroleum products by tankers was a wasteful venture, which is not only dangerous but unsustainable for long-term investment in the sector.

He asked the Federal Government and stakeholders in the oil industry to take a cue from other countries, as regards haulage of petroleum products.

“I condole with the Rivers State government and the affected families, but let us also use this sad incident to draw attention to the fact that we have said it repeatedly that one of the greatest challenges facing this country is our inability to maintain, improve and police our pipeline infrastructure.

“Moving petroleum products in small quantities by tankers over long distance is simply too expensive, dangerous and financially unsustainable in the long term,” he said.

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