The Pipeline Product Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), will henceforth discharge imported petroleum products into Atlas cove underwater storage tank constructed inside the Atlantic ocean, The Tide has learnt.

This followed last Sunday’s attack of the Lagos Atlas cove jetty, the country’s main fuel reception facility by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

The measure, it was learnt, was to ensure uninterrupted supply of petroleum products in the country.

It was gathered in spite of the attack, which hit the submarine pipeline system and could affect at least, two ships bierthing weekly, NNPC can still receive products from singe point mooring (SPM) to the Atlas cove underwater storage tank.

According to a source at the NNPC, the storage tank was not affected by the attack because it is in the Atlantic ocean.

Single point mooring (SPM), otherwise called single buoy mooring (SBM), is a loading buoy anchored offshore that serves as a mooring point and interconnect for vessels loading or offloading gas or liquid products.

SPM, which are capable of hurdling vessels of any size and even very large crude carries (VLCC), are the link between the geostatic sub sea manifold connections and the tanker.

The buoy usually is supported in static legs unattached to the scabbed, with a rotating part above water level connected to the offloading tanker.

The Tide gathered that when the products are discharged in SPM, they are transferred into sub sea storage tanker, which was not affected by the militants attack.