…2,318 barrels spilled
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — A total of 37 oil spill incidents was recorded by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, SPDC, in the third quarter of 2020, as a result of oil theft, sabotage and third party interference.
Data obtained from Shell website shows that between July and September 2020, the Dutch multinational experienced leaks in Delta, Abia, Rivers, and Bayelsa States amounting to 2,318.68 barrels of crude oil.
The affected facilities in the period under review are,16” Egbema-Assa pipeline, Otamiri well 7S flowline, 14” Okordia-Rumuekpe Pipeline, 12” Imo River2-Ogale Pipeline, 24’’ Nkpoku-Bomu Pipeline, 28’’ Bomu-Bonny Pipeline, 6’’ Imo River Well 59T Flowline, 20” Kolocreek-Rumuekpe Pipeline and 24” Trans Escravos pipeline.
While, facilities like the 24” Trans Escravos pipeline experienced one leak within the period under review, the 14” Okordia-Rumuekpe Pipeline, 12” Imo River2-Ogale Pipeline, 24’’ Nkpoku-Bomu Pipeline, 28’’ Bomu-Bonny Pipeline were sabotaged at least two times each, at different theft points within Rivers State, Abia and Bayelsa States.
33 of the leaks were recorded on land, while four occurred in a swampy terrain; the volume of each spill ranges from 0.01barrel to 390 barrels in each of the spill site.
Information from the JIV reports, endorsed by the Department of Petroleum Resources, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, Host communities, Ministry of Environment in the impacted states and SPDC, showed that all these 37 leaks were caused by was caused by sabotage.
While no recoverable oil was found in some of the spill sites, recovery and assessment have been completed in some sites, while some would take till 2021.
