#vehicle shipping to Nigeria

[zvaigzdelasas]

Israeli tanks, jets and bulldozers bombarding Gaza and razing homes in the occupied West Bank are being fueled by a growing number of countries signed up to the genocide and Geneva conventions, new research suggests, which legal experts warn could make them complicit in serious crimes against the Palestinian people.

Four tankers of American jet fuel primarily used for military aircraft have been shipped to Israel since the start of its aerial bombardment of Gaza in October.

Three shipments departed from Texas after the landmark international court of justice (ICJ) ruling on 26 January ordered Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza. The ruling reminded states that under the genocide convention they have a “common interest to ensure the prevention, suppression and punishment of genocide”.

Overall, almost 80% of the jet fuel, diesel and other refined petroleum products supplied to Israel by the US over the past nine months was shipped after the January ruling, according to the new research commissioned by the non-profit Oil Change International and shared exclusively with the Guardian.

Researchers analyzed shipping logs, satellite images and other open-source industry data to track 65 oil and fuel shipments to Israel between 21 October last year and 12 July.

It suggests a handful of countries – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Gabon, Nigeria, Brazil and most recently the Republic of the Congo and Italy – have supplied 4.1m tons of crude oil to Israel, with almost half shipped since the ICJ ruling. An estimated two-thirds of crude came from investor-owned and private oil companies, according to the research, which is refined by Israel for domestic, industrial and military use.

Israel relies heavily on crude oil and refined petroleum imports to run its large fleet of fighter jets, tanks and other military vehicles and operations, as well as the bulldozers implicated in clearing Palestinian homes and olive groves to make way for unlawful Israeli settlements.

In response to the new findings, UN and other international law experts called for an energy embargo to prevent further human rights violations against the Palestinian people – and an investigation into any oil and fuels shipped to Israel that have been used to aid acts of alleged genocide and other serious international crimes.

“After the 26 January ICJ ruling, states cannot claim they did not know what they were risking to partake in,” said Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, adding that under international law, states have obligations to prevent genocide and respect and ensure respect for the Geneva conventions.[...]

“In the case of the US jet-fuel shipments, there are serious grounds to believe that there is a breach of the genocide convention for failure to prevent and disavowal of the ICJ January ruling and provisional measures,” said Albanese. “Other countries supplying oil and other fuels absolutely also warrant further investigation.”

In early August, a tanker delivered an estimated 300,000 barrels of US jet fuel to Israel after being unable to dock in Spain or Gibraltar amid mounting protests and warnings from international legal experts. Days later, more than 50 groups wrote to the Greek government calling for a war-crimes investigation after satellite images showed the vessel in Greek waters.

Last week, the US released $3.5bn to Israel to spend on US-made weapons and military equipment, despite reports from UN human rights experts and other independent investigations that Israeli forces are violating international law in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. A day later, the US approved a further $20bn in weapons sales, including 50 fighter jets, tank ammunition and tactical vehicles.

The sale and transfer of jet fuel – and arms – “increase the ability of Israel, the occupying power, to commit serious violations”, according to the UN human rights council resolution in March.

The US is the biggest supplier of fuel and weapons to Israel. Its policy was unchanged by the ICJ ruling, according to the White House.

“The case for the US’s complicity in genocide is very strong,” aid Dr Shahd Hammouri, lecturer in international law at the University of Kent and the author of Shipments of Death. “It’s providing material support, without which the genocide and other illegalities are not possible. The question of complicity for the other countries will rely on assessment of how substantial their material support has been.”[...]

A spokesperson for the Brazilian president’s office said oil and fuel trades were carried out directly by the private sector according to market rules: “Although the government’s stance on Israel’s current military action in Gaza is well known, Brazil’s traditional position on sanctions is to not apply or support them unilaterally.

Azerbaijan, the largest supplier of crude to Israel since October, will host the 29th UN climate summit in November, followed by Brazil in 2025.[...]

The Biden administration did not respond to requests for comment, nor did Vice-President Kamala Harris’s presidential election campaign team.

Israel is a small country with a relatively large army and air force. It has no operational cross-border fossil fuel pipelines, and relies heavily on maritime imports.[...]

The new data suggests:

•Half the crude oil in this period came from Azerbaijan (28%) and Kazakhstan (22%). Azeri crude is delivered via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, majority-owned and operated by BP. The crude oil is loaded on to tankers at the Turkish port of Ceyhan for delivery to Israel. Turkey recently submitted a formal bid to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ.

•African countries supplied 37% of the total crude, with 22% coming from Gabon, 9% from Nigeria and 6% from the Republic of the Congo.

•In Europe, companies in Italy, Greece and Albania appear to have supplied refined petroleum products to Israel since the ICJ ruling. Last month, Israel also received crude from Italy – a major oil importer. A spokesperson said the Italian government had “no information” about the recent shipments.

•Cyprus provided transshipment services to tankers supplying crude oil from Gabon, Nigeria, and Kazakhstan.[...]

Just six major international fossil-fuel companies – BP, Chevron, Eni, ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies – could be linked to 35% of the crude oil supplied to Israel since October, the OCI analysis suggests. This is based on direct stakes in oilfields supplying Israeli and/or the companies’ shares in production nationally.[...]

Last week, Colombia suspended coal exports to Israel “to prevent and stop acts of genocide against the Palestinian people”, according to the decree signed by President Gustavo Petro. Petro wrote on X: “With Colombian coal they make bombs to kill the children of Palestine.”

20 Aug 24

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Zipper at Vox:

Despite a recent slowdown in US sales, global forecasts for electric vehicles remain bullish. Countries across North America, Europe, and Asia are expanding charger networks and offering EV subsidies; global EV sales are projected to nearly triple by 2030, reaching 40 million vehicles annually. The incipient wave of EV purchases raises a question: What will happen to the millions of gas-powered cars whose owners no longer want them? The likely answer: Rather than scrapping used gas vehicles or selling them domestically, rich nations will dispatch them to developing countries where limited incomes and low levels of car ownership have created eager buyers for even older, substandard models.

An influx of used gas cars would be a welcome development for those in the Global South who aspire to automobile ownership, a luxury that many in affluent countries take for granted. But it would undermine efforts to mitigate climate change, since shifting gas guzzlers from one country to another doesn’t lower global emissions. For developing countries themselves, a sharp increase in car ownership could amplify calls to build auto-reliant infrastructure, making it harder to construct the dense neighborhoods and transit networks that can foster more sustainable growth. And since these imported used cars would be fueled by gasoline, air quality would further decline in cities that are already choked with smog. The world is in an era of polycrisis, facing concurrent challenges including climate change, toxic air, and extreme inequality. Difficult trade-offs are often inevitable. Such is the case with the thorny issue of what to do with the millions of gas cars that the rich world will discard as its fleets are electrified. Electrification is a necessary goal. And it’s natural for people in the developing world to desire the same luxuries that characterize middle-class comfort in wealthier countries. The question is how to manage a transition with enormous stakes that has largely been ignored. The experts who do pay attention are growing alarmed.

[...]

How used cars move from rich nations to poor ones

Although it generates few headlines, a massive industry transports used cars across borders every day, with exporters collecting lower-quality models from dealers and wholesale auctions. Ayetor noted that colonial legacies are reflected in the trade flows: the UK, with its car cabins designed for drivers who keep to the left, tends to ship to former colonies like Kenya and Tanzania that still follow the same rules.

According to a report issued in June by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), some 3.1 million used cars were exported in 2022, up from 2.4 million in 2015. Most come from Japan, Europe, and the United States. (In the US, around 7 percent of all cars no longer in use are sent abroad. The rest end up in junkyards where their parts and materiel are sold off.) About one in three exported used vehicles is destined for Africa, followed by Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Imported models often dominate local auto sales, since international carmakers send few new vehicles to the Global South and rarely establish production facilities there. (In sub-Saharan Africa, only South Africa has local factories.) The developing world’s demand for cars is robust, in large part because comparatively few people own one. According to one 2020 estimate, the US had 860 cars for every 1,000 residents, while South Africa had 176, Morocco 112, and Nigeria just 56. Meanwhile, growing populations provide a steady supply of new potential customers. Africa is home to all of the world’s 20 fastest-growing countries, with Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, and Uganda expanding their populations by at least 3 percent per year. (For comparison, the US population is growing at a 0.67 percent rate).

[...]

The world needs a plan to adapt

The risks of aged, polluting cars sent abroad will not be borne by the Global South alone. Climate change is a planetary phenomenon; driving a gas guzzler produces the same amount of emissions in Lusaka as it would in London or Los Angeles. Reducing greenhouse gasses requires reducing total vehicle emissions, not just shifting their location. In an ideal world, electrification would enable the rich world to scrap its most decrepit gas cars. Instead, wealthy nations are likely to ship them to poorer countries, which will be left to figure out what to do when even the most MacGyver-like mechanics cannot keep them running. “All of your worst vehicles end up here,” Ayetor said. “When we want to get rid of the vehicle, what do we do?” No wealthy nations currently screen exported vehicles to weed out those that flunk basic quality tests, Kopf said. But that may soon change. The European Union is now considering new regulations that would prohibit exporting “end of life” vehicles, requiring that cars shipped abroad obtain a certificate confirming their roadworthiness. Its adoption would be a “game-changer,” according to UNEP’s Akumu. (She and Kopf said they know of no comparable proposals under consideration in North America.)

With the increase of electric vehicles in the developed countries, used gas-fueled cars are headed to a developing country (aka the Global South) at increasing rates.

[mariacallous]

This summer, a Vancouver car mechanic named Max got a perplexing ping on his phone: Betty White was in Ukraine and needed his help. This was surprising because she had died on a Canadian highway back in January.

When Max last saw Betty White, his nickname for his Tesla Model Y Performance, they were both in rough shape after getting sideswiped on the highway. Max’s rotator cuff was torn in several places. The small SUV had bounced off multiple concrete barriers at high speed and was bashed in on all four corners, its wheels ripped to pieces. Coolant appeared to be leaking into the battery chamber. From his own work on EVs in the garage, Max knew that Betty was done for. “No auto shop would put a repair person at risk with that kind of damage,” says Max, whose last name isn’t being used out of doxing concerns. A damaged EV battery can become dangerous due to the risk of shocks, fire, and toxic fumes. His insurer agreed, and Betty was written off and sent to a salvage yard.

Months after he had last seen the car, Max’s Tesla app was now telling him that Betty needed a software update. It showed the car with an extra 200 kilometers on the odometer, fully charged, and parked in Uman, a town in Ukraine’s Cherkasy Oblast, midway between Kyiv and the front line with Russia’s invasion force. Minutes after that first ping, the app showed the car in service mode, suggesting Betty was undergoing repairs. “I thought it must be a mistake,” Max says.

There was no mistake. WIRED tracked Betty down to a Ukrainian auto auction website, looking good as new, maybe even better, with newly tinted windows and rearview mirrors wrapped in black. Betty 2.0 was being sold by “Mikhailo,” who wrote that the car had suffered “a small blow” in Canada and been repaired with original Tesla parts. The price, $55,000, was roughly the same as a new Model Y Performance costs in the US.

Betty White’s intercontinental resurrection was impressive but not unusual. For a long time, cars written off in North America have found their way to Eastern European repair shops willing to take on damage that US and Canadian mechanics won’t touch. In 2021, the most recent data available, Ukraine was a top-three destination for used US passenger vehicles sent overseas, close behind Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. And Ukraine’s wreck importers and repairers are particularly known for their ingenuity. Some have made fixing EVs written off across the Atlantic into a specialty, helping to drive a surge in the number of electric vehicles on the country’s roads, even as the war with Russia rages.

Though few automakers sell new EVs in Ukraine, the share of newly registered vehicles that are fully electric, 9 percent, is about the same as in the US and nearly double that of neighboring Poland and the Czech Republic. Most of Ukraine’s refurbished EVs come from North America, and many arrive with major damage.

There’s a ready supply of crashed North American EVs in part because electrics are becoming more common, and also because in recent years, relatively new EVs with low mileage have been written off at a higher rate than their gas-powered equivalents, according to data from insurers. US and Canadian repair shops and insurers see them as more dangerous and difficult to fix. Scrapyards find it hard to make money from their parts and instead ship them abroad.

Ivan Malakhovsky is not afraid to work on cases like Betty White. His five-year-old repair business in Dnipro, in eastern Ukraine, fixes about 100 Teslas a month, roughly a fifth of them from overseas, and employs a staff that varies between six to 10 people. He’s currently away from home, serving with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but he manages his workers, and sometimes makes software-mediated repairs, remotely. “We have problems in our lives and can fix them, whether a battery or a full-scale invasion,” says Malakhovsky. “Electric cars, electric car batteries—it’s no problem.”

An electric vehicle battery is made up of thousands of individual cells, which store and release energy. Sometimes, Malakhovsky says, he and his coworkers will break up large EV batteries damaged beyond repair and repurpose the cells to power electric scooters or even drones for the war effort. He says the vast majority of Teslas on Ukrainian roads were once involved in wrecks in North America.

The war has even boosted Ukraine’s EV resurrection business at times, by driving up gas prices and making electrics more attractive to drivers. Ukraine has a public charging network of some 11,000 chargers, according to Volodymyr Ivanov, the head of communications at Nissan Motor Ukraine—that’s more than the state of New York, and double the number in neighboring Poland. Since 2018, Ukraine’s government has removed most taxes and customs duties on used EV imports. In the US, electric vehicles tend to be expensive, and the average EV driver is still a high-income male homeowner. North American wrecks, Ukraine’s EV incentives, and its relatively low electricity prices have created a different picture. “There is a joke here that all poor people are driving electric cars, and all the rich people are driving petrol cars,” says Malakhovsky. “Tesla is a common-people, popular car because it’s very cheap in maintenance.”

That’s a relatively recent development, says Hans Eric Melin, head of Circular Energy Storage, a UK-based consultancy that tracks the international flows of used EVs and batteries. He began watching the Ukraine market in particular a few years ago, after he noticed more ads for Nissan Leafs on auction sites listed in Ukrainian than in English. At the time, the Leaf, a pioneer among EVs, was essentially the only one that had been around long enough to develop a healthy used market. Over time, Ukraine’s electric fleet grew to encompass the full range of EVs sold around the world, including Teslas, as more cars hit the roads and aged or got into crashes.

Melin had suspected Ukraine’s EV boom would end with the war. “I was completely wrong,” he says. By this summer, Ukraine’s EV fleet had doubled since July 2021, to 64,312, according to data compiled by the Automotive Market Research Institute, a Ukrainian research and advocacy group.

Roman Tyschenko, a 25-year-old IT worker who lives in Kyiv, decided last September that he was sick of his Jeep’s $400-a-month gas bill. Friends had purchased used, damaged electric cars on an online auction website called Copart, a US-based public auto reseller with 200 locations around the world. He logged on and spent $24,000 on a gray 2021 Tesla Model Y that had taken a solid blow to its passenger side in Dallas, Texas. Its bumper was almost fully detached; its hood was tented; some of its airbags had deployed.

That Texan Model Y was likely declared totaled by an insurer. From there, it probably moved to a salvage auction in the US, where licensed exporters, salvage shops, and repairers tried to figure out how much value they could squeeze out of the wreck. The winner, or perhaps the insurer itself, listed the car on Copart, which made it available to anyone around the world who wanted a smashed-up Tesla and was willing to pay for shipping.

If Tyschenko hadn’t brought the Texan Tesla to Ukraine himself, it had a good chance of being shipped there anyway by someone who professionally flips cars to countries like Ukraine. These exporters look for wrecks potentially worth more than their scrap value, but little enough that an expensive US repair and resale wouldn’t make sense. Some ship vehicles directly to Ukrainian repairers and pay for the fix, while others import damaged cars and relist them for sale to Ukrainian buyers who can figure it out for themselves.

It takes a damaged North American car between one and five months to reach a nearby port. Before the war, wrecked cars headed to Ukraine’s Port of Odessa on the Black Sea. Since Russia invaded in 2022, they come through Klaipėda in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea, or Koper in Slovenia on the Adriatic, and are brought to Ukraine by truck. A shop like Malakhovsky’s can fix a Tesla in somewhere between one week and one year, depending on the damage.

Tyschenko arranged for his Model Y to be shipped to a local repair shop in Kyiv, where it arrived in February 2023, five months after he hit the Buy button online. The technician sent him videos of the EV’s ongoing revamp every few weeks, and Tyschenko stopped by to visit a handful of times. By May, he had paid the technician some $25,000 for his work and was driving the Model Y around Kyiv.

Two months later, the battery died and Tyschenko spent another $4,000 to replace it—a demonstration of the risks of electric vehicle rescues. Still, he’s happy with how things worked out, and now pays just $10 to $100 a month to refuel his car, depending on whether he charges at home or at public stations.

Finding parts to repair Teslas and other EVs can be a challenge. On Facebook and Telegram, groups like “Renault Zoe Club Ukraine” host thousands of EV owners who barter with each other for spare parts. Oleksandr Perepelitsa, a 25-year-old electric vehicle repairer in Kyiv, says that when he first began his work three years ago, he and his business partners would buy two wrecked Teslas from overseas to create a single working vehicle to sell to local Ukranians. “Even that was profitable for us,” he says. Now, business connections can send Tesla parts from the US or Europe, or repairers buy cheaper Chinese reproductions.

The success of Ukraine’s EV resurrection industry is the flip side of the failure of insurers and manufacturers in North America to figure out what to do when a shiny new EV becomes roadkill.

US insurers are more willing to write off vehicles of all kinds that in the past may have been fixed. New vehicle repairs have gotten more expensive, in part due to vehicles getting more complex and computerized, as well as a shortage of vehicle technicians. In the past decade, the damaged cars up for auction “are better and less damaged,” Copart CEO Jeff Liaw told investors on an earnings call this year.

Industry-wide data is hard to come by, but numerous sources suggest that EVs are more likely to be written off than gas-powered cars, and can be declared unfixable after even minor crashes. A Reuters analysis this year found that a “large portion” of damaged EVs sold for scrap were low-mileage, nearly-new vehicles. While one in 10 new cars sold in the US and Canada this year are forecasted to be electric, the infrastructure and expertise needed to assess and fix damaged EVs can be patchy. “In an ideal world, electric vehicles are as easy to repair as internal combustion engine vehicles,” says Mark Fry, research manager at Thatcham Research, which crunches auto market data for insurers and other clients. It recently found British EVs get written off at disproportionately high rates.

The main reason EV repairs are so tricky comes down to a lack of agreement on how to handle EV batteries after a crash. Worldwide, there is no industry standard for measuring battery health. Vehicle manufacturers sometimes refuse to sanction battery repairs because of liability concerns. “If you repair the battery, what's it going to be like after another two, three years and another 50,000 miles?” Fry says. It’s easier to let nearly new vehicles be declared dead than to find out.

The North American scrap industry is also somewhat leery of EVs, says Megan Slattery, a researcher at UC Davis who studies what happens to damaged EV batteries. Scrap businesses generally make money by taking cars apart to extract the most valuable widgets to resell. But dismantling a battery takes dedicated workers, equipment, and—most important of all—space, due to the fire risks of storing lithium-ion cells. Many mom-and-pop dismantlers don’t have any of that.

Plus, EVs tend to have simpler drivetrains, with more plastic and large, prefabricated body components that can’t be easily pulled apart. In some electric vehicles, the battery is built directly into the car’s structure, making it especially difficult to dismantle or repair. All of that means that exporters looking to sell to eager buyers abroad have less competition when bidding on totaled cars.

In the US, there’s increasing pressure to keep broken EVs from heading overseas. Regulators are concerned about safety, hoping to better track broken batteries through shipping channels as fears rise of fires sparked by used EVs, including on cargo ships. Another is to avoid dumping e-waste on countries without the means to recycle or repurpose, and instead keep the valuable minerals inside batteries local. Battery recycling startups have received vast amounts of private and public investment—both in Western Europe and the US, with funds from the Inflation Reduction Act—with a promise to help shore up raw material supply chains. But so far, they have received only a trickle of used batteries.

Policies that wind up choking off the export of EV wrecks would in some ways be a shame, Slattery says. More stringent European Union export rules for used cars and EV batteries in particular are one reason why the supply of Teslas to Eastern Europe is so dependent on North American wrecks. Without them, the electric revolution would be much less advanced in places like Ukraine, where US and Canadian write-offs have helped support the emergence of charger networks, trained repair specialists, and a wide familiarity and acceptance that electric propulsion is not just green but also practical.

In North America, there's a widespread belief that “people don't want electric vehicles and that it's just laws and regulations that push us to buy them,” says Melin, the used EV analyst. “There are other markets that want to have electrics.” It’s a testament to a system that is working, Melin adds, that used EVs end up in places like Ukraine, where new models are difficult to come by.

For Max in Vancouver, Betty White’s reappearance overseas did cause some headaches. The car was still logged into his Google, Netflix, and Spotify accounts, potentially allowing the new owners to access his personal data. When he asked Tesla support, he was advised to change his passwords, Max says. (Tesla did not respond to WIRED’s questions.)

But looking back on the crash, and now driving a new Model Y—named Black Betty—Max says his old car’s resurrection is the best possible outcome. “I’m happy to see that Betty White has lived to see another day,” he says.

[akeliciousmedia]

Ministry of Defense Bello Matawalle Inspects Buffalo Bulletproof Vehicles to Boost National Security

An inspection of Buffalo Bulletproof Vehicles was carried out by Dr. Bello Matawalle MON at the Ministry of Defense in Ship House, which is located in Abuja. This high-security assessment was conducted to assess the operational capabilities of the vehicles and determine whether or not they were suitable for enhancing Nigeria’s national security. During the inspection, which was carried out by…

[townflex]

Davido Ships His New Rolls Royce and Tesla Cybertruck to Nigeria

Nigerian music superstar Davido is making waves once again, this time with the arrival of two luxury vehicles in Nigeria — a Rolls Royce and a highly anticipated Tesla Cybertruck. The artist, known for his lavish lifestyle, took to social media to share the exciting news, posting glimpses of the vehicles as they were being shipped to Nigeria. A striking image of his pristine white Rolls Royce…

[ejesgistnews]

The management of Dangote Refinery has announced competitive pricing for its petrol, offering N960 per liter for supply via ships and N990 per liter via trucks, a decision it says aligns with international market rates. This pricing adjustment was revealed on Sunday by Anthony Chiejina, the refinery's spokesperson, amidst ongoing pricing disputes with fuel marketers who argue that imported petrol is available at a lower price than the refinery’s rates. Read Also: Filmmaker, Dimeji Ajibola, Is Dead Chiejina clarified that Dangote Refinery, which has a production capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), had set these prices following the deregulation led by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC). He noted that while NNPC set its prices at N971 per liter for ship-based sales and N990 for truck-based deliveries, Dangote Refinery chose to price its ship-based sales lower, at N960 per liter, while matching the NNPC’s truck-based rate of N990.   “We have refrained from media disputes, but misinformation by IPMAN, PETROAN, and other groups has made a response necessary,” Chiejina stated. "Both groups claim they can import PMS at lower prices, but our prices are benchmarked internationally and remain competitive."   Further addressing the concerns, Chiejina warned that any imported petrol priced below Dangote’s rates is likely substandard, as Nigeria’s regulatory body, NMDPRA, lacks the necessary laboratory facilities to verify fuel quality. He accused some importers of undermining public safety by flooding the market with low-quality fuel, which he argued harms vehicles and machinery.   Additionally, Chiejina emphasized the importance of supporting domestic industries. "Protecting local industries is common practice worldwide," he said, citing high tariffs in the U.S. and Europe on EVs and microchips as examples of economic protectionism. "We should ensure similar protections to sustain jobs and bolster the Nigerian economy," he added.

[tracknews1]

Unmasked: How Matrix Energy imports bad fuel from Russia, Malta into Nigeria

If you are wondering why Nigerian motorists were recently encumbered with incessant vehicle breakdowns especially fuel pumps and diverse engine malfunctions on account of bad fuel (petrol and diesel), wonder no more. Our undercover reporter has mined data and information from a tray of documents detailing how Matrix Energy, a relatively unknown company, has used contacts in NNPC Limited to ship…

[oceanandgeneral]

Seamless Shipping Solutions with Ocean and General Maritime Agencies Ltd: From Ireland

In the ever-evolving global trade landscape, efficient and reliable shipping solutions are crucial for businesses and individuals alike. Ocean and General Maritime Agencies Ltd specializes in providing top-notch shipping services from Ireland to Lagos, including trailer shipping. Our comprehensive approach ensures that your goods reach their destination safely and on time. In this blog, we will delve into the intricacies of shipping between Ireland and Lagos, explore the benefits of our trailer shipping services, and highlight why Ocean and General Maritime Agencies Ltd is your go-to partner for all your shipping needs.

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[reportafrique]

From Lagos to Washington: The Shocking Tale of a Nigerian Scammer's $5.7 Million Scheme

A Nigerian national, Uche Victor Diuno, has recently pleaded guilty to his role in a complex fraud conspiracy scheme that spanned across the United States and targeted victims in more than 20 countries. This revelation was disclosed by the United States Attorney's Office, with Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani providing insights into the case on Thursday, February 1. At the age of 57, Diuno was identified as a key participant in an international fraud ring that employed deceptive tactics, offering victims false promises of lucrative investment opportunities and inheritances. The far-reaching scheme resulted in staggering losses totaling nearly $5.7 million, marking a widespread impact on individuals and financial institutions globally. The core modus operandi involved Diuno and his collaborators masquerading as officials from prominent U.S. banks, skillfully luring victims into making payments under the pretense of securing investment and money transfer agreements. The funds collected through this fraudulent means were then funneled back to the orchestrators of the scheme in Nigeria. Diuno, who pleaded guilty, acknowledged using multiple aliases to bolster the credibility of the scam. In the pursuit of laundering the illicit proceeds, Diuno admitted to issuing instructions for various activities, including the purchase of vehicles in the U.S. with the intention of shipping them to Nigeria. These actions were carried out in accordance with directives from the leader of the fraud scheme, revealing a sophisticated and organized criminal operation with global reach. This case sheds light on the growing threat posed by transnational fraud networks, emphasizing the need for international cooperation in combating such crimes. Diuno's guilty plea underscores the intricate nature of these schemes and the willingness of fraudsters to adapt their tactics to deceive individuals and entities across borders. In a parallel development, Nigerian billionaire businessman Mmobuosi Banye, also known as Dozy Mmobuosi, is grappling with fraud charges from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC alleges that Tingo Group, an agri-fintech innovator with operations spanning across Africa, including Nigeria, falsely claimed to have $461.7 million in its subsidiary Tingo Mobile's Nigerian bank accounts when the actual amount was a mere $50. Mmobuosi, who oversees three affiliated U.S.-based entities, including Tingo Group Inc., Agri-Fintech Holdings Inc., and Tingo International Holdings Inc., faces charges related to a multi-year scheme aimed at inflating financial performance metrics to deceive investors globally. These developments highlight the vigilance needed in the financial sector to safeguard against fraudulent activities, emphasizing the role of regulatory bodies in maintaining transparency and accountability. Read the full article

[kewalramnigeria]

Tips To Pick The Right Transportation Service Provider For Your Needs

Professional transport services can help you grow your company, regardless of whether you are operating an internet store or a corporation focused on potential commercial markets. In reality, they are the strategic logistics allies that can strengthen SMEs to improve their operations and procedures. For example, if you are in Nigeria, selecting the best local transportation company and Foton Vehicles in Nigeria is therefore essential.

The most crucial advice for selecting the top logistics and transportation partner is provided in this article.

Background and references

Conducting a thorough inquiry before working with the transport firm is best. Examine online reviews from past clients to determine their professionalism and reputation. Expert transporters should have Foton commercial vehicles in Lagos Nigeria, to accommodate needs for professional transportation.

Experience does matter

Largely experienced transportation companies typically have the necessary skills and know-how to do the job quickly. They instruct their personnel on the efficient yet speedy modes of transportation, so both they and you benefit from time savings. Also, when searching for good transport services, check if they have ElectricMass-Transit Buses in lagos.

Decide the budget

Actually, depending on the kind of product you are going to shift, the price may vary. Additionally, the cargo's delicateness or weight will determine this. Skilled packers and movers will examine these variables and inform you how much the entire transfer would cost.

Safety is important

Which commodities are you planning to move? Are those fragile enough that you require a specialized shipping service? Selecting the best transport firm requires careful consideration of the items' safety. Select a transporter that offers Heavy duty trucks for sale in lagos to ensure products' safety.

Time is essential

When selecting a transport business, delivery timeframes are a major factor. Find out how long the transportation process will take overall from the transporter. In an emergency, reputable, professional transport firms should be able to accommodate your needs.

Final thoughts

Selecting a transportation service provider is important for your business, so be careful when selecting a transportation partner.

[clickvibes]

FG Slashes Wage By N100bn, Labour Kicks

Labour unions, on Wednesday, lambasted the Federal Government for slashing the supplementary budgetary allocation for wage awards to federal civil servants by N100bn, warning that this was not the agreement they had with the government. Data obtained from the newly Revised 2023 Supplementary Budget, indicated that the government swapped the controversial N5bn presidential yacht votes for Navy barges, increased the budget for defence from N476.54bn to N546.21bn and earmarked N20bn as capital supplementation for the National Intelligence Agency. The PUNCH reports that the recently approved N2.1tn 2023 Supplementary Budget was marred with controversy following the discovery of seemingly extravagant items, forcing an amendment by the National Assembly. In the proposed document, the four-month wage award was to cost the Federal Government around N210bn. However, the approved and newly revised document showed that it would now cost the Federal Government about N110bn. Also in the revised budget, the Ministry of Defence budget rose from N476.54bn to N546.21bn, indicating an additional allocation of N69.67bn. Under the ministry, the Nigerian Navy, which was earlier caught up in the controversial N5.095bn for the purchase of a presidential yacht, got an additional N25bn to its total allocation. Its total allocation rose from N62.8bn in the proposed supplementary budget to N87.8bn in the approved document. It also observed that the presidential yacht was replaced by the purchase of a self-propelled barge with the same amount of N5.095bn. Self-propelled barges are cargo-carrying vessels specifically engineered for operation on inland waterways. The Nigerian Navy also got extra allocation for the construction of two buildings in Enugu and Ebonyi worth N3bn each. About N19bn was also allocated for the purchase of two tugboats, which are used to pull or push other large ships for manoeuvring or salvage purposes. The Defence Intelligence Agency got an extra N30bn to its total allocation, from N17.04bn in the proposed document to N47.04bn in the approved copy. The PUNCH further observed that allocations to the Office of the National Security Adviser, headed by Nuhu Ribadu, increased by N20.3bn from N29.7bn to N50.02bn. Similarly, the purchase of official vehicles for the office of the First Lady valued at N1.5bn remained in the budget, while the education loan fund for funding student loans was increased to N10bn from N5.5bn previously allotted. Recall that the Federal Government, as part of steps to assuage labour unions, had granted a wage award of N35,000 to all Federal Government workers “beginning from September pending when a new national minimum wage is expected to have been signed into law.” President Bola Tinubu had declared during his Independence Day speech that “low-grade workers” in the federal civil service would be awarded a wage of N25,000. The amount was then increased to N35,000 following discussions with the organised labour unions. However, civil servants received a single payment of N35,000 for September only and not for two months as promised. It is still unknown why the Federal Government decided to slash the allocation of wage awards for federal workers, but the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress warned that this would be resisted. NLC, TUC warns govt Commenting on the development, the Assistant General Secretary, Nigeria Labour Congress, Chris Onyeka, said the agreement was for the government to raise the wages of federal civil servants and not to reduce them. He said, “Are you saying they cut down the wage awards by N100bn? Well, we have been talking about the high cost of governance and if they decided to reduce their bills by cutting down their numerous aides and assistants, that’s alright. “But if it is that they don’t want to pay workers what they are supposed to pay, then there is a problem. How can you subject workers to further reductions in their salaries? No way! We agreed to a wage award of N35,000 to all federal workers, so the wage award has to increase.” Also speaking, the Head of Information, NLC, Benson Upah, said, “We were not informed before this was done. However, this behaviour is not inconsistent with the psychology of this government. It’s sad!” The Trade Union Congress warned the Federal Government against playing games with the wage award for Nigerian workers. The National Deputy President, TUC, Tommy Etim, said, “The government cannot play games with the wage award because it was an agreement reached with the organised labour and the instrument of agreement reached was deposited in the court. “The government is the manager of funds and our business is to ensure compliance to the agreement is reached.” Efforts to get the Presidency to speak on why the award was reduced were unsuccessful, as officials contacted at the villa could not provide any explanation at the time of filing this report. Tinubu had during his Independence Day speech assured Nigerians that low-grade workers in the federal civil service would be awarded a provisional wage increase of N25,000 for the next six months. The amount was then increased to N35,000 following discussions with organised labour organisations, as this led to an increase of the wage bill to N315bn. The agreements made the organised labour suspend its proposed nationwide strike for 30 days, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government. But the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, had added a caveat that the unions would revisit the agreement if the Federal Government failed to fulfil their demands. The PUNCH had reported that civil servants under the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure received a single payment of N35,000 for September only and not for two months as promised. “Yes, I did receive it. I saw the alert about 15 minutes ago. I think it is for September because the alert indicated September,” a civil servant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, had confirmed last month. Another civil servant had said, “Yes, I have seen mine too but we are expecting to see another alert because the President said it would start from September. So maybe another one will come, which will read October.” With the accelerating inflation rate in Nigeria, workers had urged the Federal Government to give them fair compensation at the time it planned to review the minimum wage in Nigeria. Workers, who spoke to The PUNCH, lamented that the escalating inflationary pressures were taking a serious toll on their finances, eroding their purchasing power. A civil servant, who identified himself as Opeyemi, said the economic situation was becoming unbearable because most of the prices of food in the market had increased. He claimed the amount he spent weekly on transport fares to the office had tripled. He noted that though the Lagos State Government had promised some palliatives, he was not sure if other workers in other states were receiving that also. https://punchng.com/fg-slashes-wage-by-n100bn-labour-kicks/?amp Read the full article

[crimechannels]

By • Olalekan Fagbade "You're putting our lives at risks" Service Chiefs blame judiciary for granting suspected Terrorists bail The Service Chiefs on Tuesday in Abuja appeared before the House of Representatives at plenary on a sectoral debate for MDAs, recounting activities aimed at combating the surging insecurity challenges in the country. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those present included the Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja; and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogala. Others were the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun. In his submission, the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), Gen. Chris Musa, however, blamed the judiciary for releasing arrested Boko Haram suspects after being arrested by the military. “I have been in the Northeast; there were a lot of Boko Haram elements that have been captured. We have kept them for five/six years. We the armed forces can arrest but cannot prosecute. “Some of them have been found wanting, but no prosecution. “We are keeping them for this lengthy period, everyone is accusing the Armed forces in keeping them against their human rights, but we cannot prosecute. “Another aspect of the judiciary is that you use all your efforts to make an arrest, you hand them over, and before you enter your vehicle, the man has been released on bail. “Now you have risked yourself in doing that; by the time he is released, he goes to tell the people the person that arrested him. Now your family members or you are at risk,” Musa disclosed. He said it was getting to a state where the security forces would not want to make any effort. ”We have the issue in the South-South, the last ship that was arrested, was arrested 10 years ago; the ship went and changed its name, changed its colour and came back again. ”By the time they handed over the ship and before you know it, it is released,” according to him, stressing that this is an area that must be looked into. “We must have a special court to look into it. That is why we arrest and destroy them because the longer we keep them, it becomes a problem,” said the CDS. Musa said they often come under pressure to release them. He said that at the moment, about 140,000 terrorists have surrendered and are awaiting disarmament, assuring that there is no single territory currently being occupied by Boko Haram insurgents. Musa said the activities of Simon Ekpa, the Spokesperson of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) currently hiding in Finland, were doing a lot of damage to the Southeast region of the country. He alleged that Ekpa was being protected by Finland, adding that there is a need for the government to engage the government of Finland and possibly invite its ambassador to Nigeria. Musa said that while the military and other security agencies in the country were doing their very best to ensure that there is peace in the Southeast region, the comments and activities of Ekpa were sabotaging such efforts. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taureed Lagbaja, highlighted some of the challenges facing the Nigerian Army, which include funding, logistics, and manpower. On his part, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, said the major challenges facing the Nigerian Air Force in the conduct of air operations include the rising cost of aviation fuel. Others include delay in the release of funding, complexity in targeting, porous borders and manpower disposition. The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, urged the House of Representatives to ensure adequate appropriations for the service to acquire resources to enable it to achieve its mandate. Ogalla said the resources were basically required in terms of fleet renewal, aircraft and support facilities. “The Navy is just about 30,000 for now. We are making efforts to expand the size of the navy and train them adequately to be able to meet its objectives.

“With adequate support, we should be able to tackle activities of oil theft, pipeline vandalism and illegal refineries, irrespective of the weather. “ The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, had earlier said they are focusing on security given the unprecedented challenges of the past decade. Abbas said that over the last few years, the country has made significant progress in tackling insecurity through improved investment by the federal government. He commended the gallantry and professionalism of servicemen and women, while saluting the courage of the armed forces and law enforcement personnel. The speaker emphasised that an appearance in person by all invited heads of MDAs was required throughout this sectoral briefing. He added that the House would not accept proxy representation for any reason whatsoever, adding that notices were sent well in advance to forestall any excuses. (NAN)

[forwardaircargo]

SHIPPING FROM DUBAI TO NIGERIA

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IAAI Trucking Nigeria with BEST 4 SHIPPING INC

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[swldx]

BBC 0425 26 Aug 2023

12095Khz 0357 26 AUG 2023 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from TALATA VOLONONDRY. SINPO = 55445. English, dead carrier s/on @0357z then ID@0359z pips and Newsroom preview. @0401z World News anchored by David Harper. Niger's military rulers on Friday ordered the French ambassador to leave the country in the next 48 hours, but said a letter calling for a similar order for the US ambassador was fake. A US State Department spokesperson said "no such request has been made to the US government". Reports earlier stated that Niger's coup leaders had also asked the ambassadors of Germany and Nigeria to leave the country in the next 48 hours. News agencies reported that these reports were declared "unauthentic by authorities." British Museum director Hartwig Fischer has said he will step down from his role, after treasures were stolen from the London institution. Deputy Director Jonathan Williams has also agreed to step back from his normal duties until an independent review into the thefts at the Museum has concluded. Gabonese voters head to the polls for presidential, legislative, and local elections that the opposition hopes will foil President Ali Bongo's bid for a third term and end his family's 56-year grip on power. Russian air defence has repelled a new drone attack on Moscow, the city’s mayor said, the latest of several attempts to attack the Russian capital with unmanned aerial vehicles this week. An original portrait photograph of a famous Arctic explorer, taken shortly before the doomed Franklin expedition, will be auctioned in London next month. Sir John Franklin's expedition to find a Northwest Passage through the Canadian Arctic became one of the best-known maritime mysteries of all time after the ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror disappeared without a trace in the summer of 1845. Sports. @0406z "The Newsroom" begins. 250ft unterminated BoG antenna pointed E/W, Etón e1XM. 250kW, beamAz 315°, bearing 63°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 15359KM from transmitter at Talata Volonondry. Local time: 2257.