DUE DILIGENCE QUESTIONNAIRE
Bonny Light Crude Oil (BLCO) Sellers
Used when a party offers BLCO from Nigeria. Genuine offtake is checked in two steps: (1) title to lift, independently verified; (2) cargo status — programmed for loading, or already loaded with a full shipping set. A scanned NNPCL allocation letter is not proof of cargo.
Best practice sequence: Standing KYC → this questionnaire → independent NUIMS / COMD verification → cargo-status documents → payment security → LOI / SPA.
Header
| Reference / Enquiry ID | |
| Date | |
| Completed by | Name / Company / Role |
| Contact | Email / Phone / WhatsApp |
Section A — Seller Identification
| No. | Item | Answer / Attach |
| A1 | Full legal name of the seller | |
| A2 | Role | ☐ NNPCL offtaker / term holder ☐ DSDP consortium ☐ Equity / JV lifter ☐ Trader with written mandate ☐ Broker only ☐ Other |
| A3 | Registration no. / Jurisdiction | |
| A4 | CAC RC Number (if Nigerian) | |
| A5 | KYC already with Ametheus? | ☐ Yes – ref / date: ☐ No – full KYC attached |
| A6 | Ultimate Beneficial Owner(s) | |
| A7 | Sanctions / PEP | ☐ Confirmed clean ☐ Screening attached |
| A8 | If not the allottee: offtaker name + mandate attached |
Section B — Title to Lift (Allocation / Offtake Right)
Proves who is allowed to lift. Does not prove barrels are on a ship. Letters without a reference that verifies on the official portal are rejected.
| No. | Item | Answer / Attach |
| B1 | Nature of title | ☐ NNPCL term contract ☐ DSDP / swap ☐ Equity / JV ☐ Programmed cargo under existing offtake ☐ Secondary sale under written mandate |
| B2 | Contract / offtake reference | NNPCL / NUIMS / COMD number |
| B3 | Allocation / NUIMS reference | Format: NNPCLTD/NUIMS/ALL/xxxxxx. Allottee name must match A1 or the mandated offtaker. Volume, period, expiry: |
| B4 | Loading terminal | ☐ Bonny Terminal ☐ Other (specify) |
| B5 | Documents attached | ☐ Allocation / programme letter ☐ Contract extract ☐ Mandate (if applicable) ☐ Consent for independent verification |
| B6 | Entitlement still unlifted for this volume? | ☐ Yes ☐ No – explain |
Verification method: Ametheus enters the reference on nuims.nnpc-group.com and separately checks with COMD using contacts it obtains itself. Seller-supplied “NNPC officers” or WhatsApp numbers are not used.
Not accepted as title: presidential / diplomatic / task-force / special off-OPEC letters; hotel or agent allocations; unverifiable letterhead; broker chains with no mandate from the allottee.
Section C — Proof of Cargo (choose one path)
Allocation is not cargo. Complete Path 1 for a standard FOB Bonny lifting that is not yet loaded. Complete Path 2 only if a named vessel is already loaded. Path 2 is high-risk and needs a complete shipping set.
Path 1 — Programmed / to-be-lifted cargo (standard)
| No. | Item | Answer / Attach |
| C1.1 | Lifting programme / stem / cargo ref. | |
| C1.2 | Laycan and nominated quantity | Dates + bbls (+/− as per contract) |
| C1.3 | Terminal / berth or SPM | |
| C1.4 | Vessel nomination | ☐ Not nominated ☐ Nominated – name / IMO + Q88 |
| C1.5 | Authority to Load / terminal acceptance | ☐ Attached ☐ Not yet issued |
| C1.6 | Who receives the LC / security? | ☐ NNPCL ☐ Named offtaker ☐ Other |
Path 2 — Already loaded cargo (TTO / afloat) — extra scrutiny
| No. | Item | Answer / Attach |
| C2.1 | Vessel name, IMO, flag, class | |
| C2.2 | Q88 + CPA / employment | ☐ Attached |
| C2.3 | B/L date, number, shipper, consignee, quantity | |
| C2.4 | Certificates of Quantity, Quality, Origin | ☐ Attached |
| C2.5 | Ullage, time sheet, cargo manifest | ☐ Attached |
| C2.6 | AIS position and next port | |
| C2.7 | Independent contact with owner / operator / master? | ☐ Yes – contacts: ☐ No |
Not accepted as Proof of Cargo for BLCO:
– Statement of Availability of Product (SOA)
– Commercial tank storage / TSA as if BLCO sits in a rented tank farm
– Generic refinery supply contract with no NNPCL / terminal programming
– MT199 / MT799 / bank “POP SWIFT”
– SGS or dip-test booked only after an upfront fee
– Scanned NNPCL letterhead with no NUIMS / COMD reference that verifies
Section D — Proof of Funds (when required)
| No. | Item | Answer / Attach |
| D1 | POF required? | ☐ Yes ☐ No |
| D2 | Amount (USD) | |
| D3 | Form | ☐ BCL ☐ MT799 / RWA ☐ Bank statement ☐ Other |
| D4 | Issuing bank & country | |
| D5 | Date & validity | |
| D6 | Linked to this cargo / SPA? | ☐ Yes ☐ No |
Attach extract (account numbers may be redacted). POF does not replace Sections B or C.
Section E — Past Performance
| No. | Item | Answer / Attach |
| E1 | Nigerian crude cargoes in last 24 months | |
| E2 | 2–3 previous cargoes | Vessel – IMO – quantity – load port – B/L month |
| E3 | May Ametheus verify those liftings? | ☐ Yes ☐ No |
Section F — Red Flags
| No. | Item | Answer / Attach |
| F1 | Upfront / reassignment / dip-test / anti-fraud fee requested? | ☐ No ☐ Yes – explain |
| F2 | Price more than ~USD 0.40–0.50/bbl under marker without reason? | ☐ No ☐ Yes – explain |
| F3 | Pre-loaded vessel ready for immediate TTO/TTT? | ☐ No ☐ Yes – complete Path 2 |
| F4 | Special / presidential / diplomatic / unofficial allocation? | ☐ No ☐ Yes – explain |
| F5 | More than one step from allottee with no written mandate? | ☐ No ☐ Yes – explain |
A “Yes” on F1 or F4 is normally an automatic decline.
Section G — Commercial Details
| Proposed volume | |
| Incoterms | ☐ FOB Bonny ☐ CIF ☐ CFR ☐ Other |
| Loading window / laycan | |
| Payment instrument | ☐ SBLC / DLC to NNPCL or offtaker ☐ Other |
| Existing SPA / LOI | |
| Other remarks |
Notes
– Section B (title) and Section C (Path 1 or Path 2) are both mandatory.
– Ametheus verifies allocation references on nuims.nnpc-group.com and through its own COMD channel.
– No upfront fees of any kind.
– Special allocations and unverifiable documents are rejected.
– Information is treated as confidential.
Declaration
I/We confirm that the information and attached documents are true, accurate and current. False or misleading information ends discussions immediately.
Name: ________________________________ Designation / stamp: ________________________________
Signature / Date: ________________________________
Submission
Return as a single PDF package to [email protected]
Subject: BLCO Seller DD – [Company Name] – [Date]
