Erin lawsuit: did DPR illegally seize output from OML 120?

摘要

Bankrupt American firm Erin Energy has accused Nigeria’s Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) of illegally taking a share of crude oil from OML 120 to cover its debt with the company. Erin Energy filed for bankruptcy in April 2018 after having to stop activities on the offshore Nigerian block ( AEI 816). In a motion to the Texas court on August 8, Erin claims that, without consent DPR had confiscated crude oil on the FPSO that was contracted for sale to Century Energy Services, violating the automatic stay on the seizure of property belonging to the insolvent firm. It further asserts that DPR secretly cancelled OMLs 120 and 121 and kept the other creditors, namely Malaysian firm Bumi Armada and ENI in the dark about its seizure.