Forty-four oil marketing companies have defaulted on their obligation to remit levies owed to the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST), now rebranded as the Bulk Energy Storage and Transportation Limited (BEST).

These companies were supposed to collect the BOST margin from petroleum product sales and remit it to the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) for onward transmission to BOST.

However, they collected the levies and margins but failed to transfer the funds, disappearing with nearly GH₵60 million.

The companies involved include Best Petroleum Limited, owing GH₵114,480; Black Rock Energy Limited, which owes GH₵802,444; Bisvel Petroleum Services, which owes GH₵293,040; Capstone, which owes GH₵1,565,661; Cigo Energy Limited, which owes GH₵1,235,740; Champion Oil Co., which owes GH₵838,165; Deep Petroleum Limited, which owes GH₵100,720; Deliman, which owes GH₵225,610; Galaxy Energy, which owes GH₵196,830; Gulf Energy, which owes GH₵10,190,045; G&G, which owes GH₵856,166; Golden Petr. Limited, which owes GH₵246,375; and Hossana Oil, owing GH₵286,265.

• Read also: 44 oil marketing companies ‘vanish’ with nearly GH₵60m levies owed to BOST

Other defaulters include Humano, which owes GH₵901,137; Havilah Oil Ghana Ltd - GH₵523,950; Jas Petroleum Limited - GH₵2,356,290; Karela Oil and Gas Limited - GH₵2,660,583; Kros Energy Limited - owes GH₵525,908; L. Link Petroleum Co. Limited - GH₵40,225; Life Petroleum Company Ltd - GH₵33,150; Lilygold Energy Res. Ltd - GH₵761,995; Mba Global Petroleum Limited-GH₵220,725; Moari Oil Company Limited - GH₵968,895; and Naddif Company Limited, which owes GH₵1,528,409.

The rest are Nujenix Company Limited, which owes GH₵163,460; Nuru Oil Company Limited - GH₵175,087; Oval Energy Company Limited- GH₵6,593,673; P&O Energy Company Limited - GH₵383,724; Petro Afrique Ghana Ltd - GH₵22,355; Petra Energy - GH₵301,984; Perfect Petroleum Co. Limited - GH₵680,635; Precious Oil - GH₵436,182; and Q8 Oil, which owes GH₵2,092,299.

Rigworld Petroleum Services Limited owes GH₵2,565; Rodo Oil Limited, owes GH₵2,168,784; Rich Oil Company Limited, owes GH₵237,657; Royal Roses, owes GH₵1,215; Sawiz, owes GH₵180,166; Santol Oil, owes GH₵2,965,795; Safety Petroleum Limited, owes GH₵4,926,410; Sephem Oil Company Limited owes GH₵6,075; Titan Petroleum Limited owes GH₵1,140,150; whereas Union Oil owes GH₵41,175; and Zoe Petroleum, owes GH₵9,532,928.