*3,170 barrels spilled
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — A total of 30 oil spill incidents was recorded by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, SPDC, in the first quarter of 2020, as a result of oil theft, sabotage and operational failure.
Data obtained from Shell website shows that between January and March 2020, the Dutch multinational experienced leaks in Delta, Abia, Rivers, Imo and Bayelsa States amounting to 3,170 barrels of crude oil.
63 barrels was spilled from three incidents, as a result of operational failure in the month of March 2020 alone.
The affected facilities in these four states include; 20” Trans-Escravos Pipeline, 12″ Imo River1-Ogale Pipeline, 12″ Imo River-Ebubu Pipeline, 20″ Kolo Creek-Rumuekpe Pipeline, 4” Kanbo 3L Flowline, and 8″ Obigbo North-New Elelenwa Pipeline.
Others are, Obele Flowstation, 28” Nkpoku-Ebubu Pipeline, 4” Etelebou Well 1S Flowline, 12″ Oguta to Egbema Pipeline, 28” Nkpoku – Bomu Pipeline, 16″ Egbema-Assa Pipeline, and 14″ Okordia- Rumuekpe Pipeline.
While, facilities like the 12″ Imo River1-Ogale Pipeline experienced two leaks at two different locations within the period under review, the 20″ Kolo Creek-Rumuekpe Pipeline, the 14” Okordia-Rumuekpe pipeline and the 28” Nkpoku-Bomu pipeline are vandalized at least twice in two weeks at different theft points in Emuoha, Abua/Odual and Gokana LGA of Rivers State.
28 of the leaks were recorded on land, while two occurred in the swamp area; the volume of each spill ranges from 0.3barrel to 247 barrels in each of the spill site.
Information from 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 three of the leaks were caused by operational failure, while 27 were caused by sabotage and third party interference.
While no recoverable oil was found in some of the spill sites, spills were contained and recovered in others, as assessment and site certification would be completed in some sites in October and November 2020.