CBOD Flags $40M Loss Over Laycan Disruptions, Demands Regulatory Overhaul

The Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) has raised alarm over repeated disruptions to the country’s Laycan fuel import schedule, an issue that has already cost the industry over $40 million in demurrage and related charges in the first half of 2025.

In a statement, CBOD accused the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) of undermining sector confidence by unilaterally altering import timetables without consultation, distorting market dynamics and compromising fuel price predictability. The Laycan system, which coordinates petroleum vessel arrivals, is central to managing Ghana’s fuel imports in an orderly, transparent manner.

According to CBOD, the NPA has revised the Laycan schedule more than 11 times in just six months each adjustment impacting up to ten shipments and delaying delivery by as much as 30 days. The cumulative effect, the chamber estimates, has increased fuel prices by GH₵ 0.47 to GH₵ 0.60 per litre between January and May.

Even more troubling, CBOD noted, is the increasing frequency with which vessels are allowed to berth outside the established timetable under vaguely defined “emergency” conditions. A recent example is the June 23 discharge of the MT Marlin Ametrine, which CBOD claims defied a presidential directive aimed at restoring order to the import regime.

“This is a serious affront to regulatory integrity,” the statement read, warning that such precedents risk reversing the sector’s hard-won gains in transparency and efficiency.

Geopolitical Undercurrents and Market Interference

The chamber also alluded to external pressures infiltrating the system, alleging that displaced Nigerian oil traders, affected by the rise of the Dangote Refinery, are now routing fuel through Ghanaian intermediaries with political influence. This, CBOD claims, is contributing to the manipulation of the Laycan process and threatening national energy security.

With the Q2 schedule now spilling into Q3, uncertainty in the supply chain continues to grow. CBOD argues this is eroding the sector’s ability to manage costs, plan operations, and deliver stable pricing to consumers and businesses alike.

CBOD’s Four-Point Action Plan

In response, the chamber is calling for immediate corrective measures to restore discipline and safeguard national interests. Its recommendations include:

Restricting disqualified BIDECs from participating in the Laycan process and holding those responsible for schedule disruptions financially accountable.

Enforcing transparency in all emergency supply approvals, with prior planning and multi-stakeholder agreement.

Empowering CBOD to coordinate and submit Laycan schedules to the NPA, ensuring equity, compliance, and sector-wide access.

Mandating stakeholder consultation before any alterations to the Laycan schedule through the Laycan Review Committee.

CBOD said its previous petitions to both the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition and the NPA have gone unanswered, despite a presidential directive on June 12 urging immediate reform.

As tensions escalate, stakeholders fear that without urgent intervention, Ghana’s petroleum logistics could descend into further disorder threatening energy supply reliability, price stability, and investor confidence in one of the country’s most strategically sensitive sectors.

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