Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Environmentalists have said that the ongoing gas and oil spills from Cawthorne Channel well15 within OML18, operated by Eroton Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, is an assault on the environment, irrespective of what caused the incident.
Recall that since June 15th 2022 till date, Eroton’s well15 in Cawthorne Channel near Port Harcourt, has been spewing massive crude oil and gas uncontrollably into the environment, an incident similar to Aiteo’s OML29 well blowout incident in Nembe.
Speaking, the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, said the frequency of disastrous well blowouts was disturbing, adding that the Cawthorne Channel well15 wellhead appeared as dilapidated as that of Aiteo which erupted in Santa Barbara.
Executive Director of HOMEF, Rev Nnimmo Bassey, tasked the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency, to review the state of oil facilities in the Niger Delta region to stem eruption which destroys the environment as it dumps high volume of crude into it.
Bassey also urged the government to develop a system that ensures communities are consulted before multinational oil operators divest their assets and liabilities to other companies.
“While the well blowout at Aiteo incident was spraying in two horizontal directions? This one is shooting into the sky and spraying horizontally to one side. The well head also looks as decrepit as the one at Santa Barbara.
These and other dilapidated well heads require urgent maintenance.
“NOSDRA ought to carry out a review of the state of the well heads across the Niger Delta to ensure that they don’t keep erupting and damaging the environment. The oil companies should also be required to secure their well heads and facilities to ensure they are out of reach of thieves and others.
“This incident is a horrible assault on the environment irrespective of what the cause of the incident may be. It shows that divestment exercise must not be done haphazardly. Govt has to develop a system that ensures that communities are fully consulted before international oil companies sell their assets and liabilities up local companies.”
Similarly, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centren expressed concern over yet another massive ongoing oil spill in the Niger Delta, less than six months after the Aiteo Group spill in Nembe, Bayelsa State in November and December 2021.
Executive Director of YEAC, Mr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said disastrous wellhead eruption was one too many, as it destroys water bodies, flora and fauna up to the Atlantic ocean considering the speed and volume of oil now continuing for weeks.
Fyneface charged NOSDRA, Eroton and all concerned authorities to quickly clamp the spill points, cleanup the environment and adequately compensate the local people whose sources of water and livelihoods have been destroyed by this spillage.
“Information available to us is that this ongoing spill is from a facility owned and operated by an indigenous oil company, Eroton E&P Ltd, another Shell’s divested facility in OML 18, similar to the Aiteo Group oil spill from another Shell divested facility; an indication that what the local companies bought from Shell are more of liabilities than assets.
“YEAC is worried that when destructive spills of this nature occurred, damaging the ecosystems and livelihoods sources, oil operators, even without joint investigation visit, are always quick to blame third parties in order to shy away from responsibilities associated with their spillages.”