*357 barrels spilled
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Only four oil spill incidents was recorded by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, SPDC, in the month of October 2020, as a result of oil theft and sabotage; the least this year.
Data obtained from Shell website shows that between October 1st and October 29th 2020, the Dutch multinational experienced only four leaks in Abia and Rivers States amounting to 357 barrels of crude oil.
The affected facilities in these states include; 14″ Okordia-Rumuekpe Pipeline, 8″ Nkali-Imo River Pipeline, 20″ Kolo creek-Rumuekpe Pipeline and 12” Imo River 2-Ogale Pipeline.
All the affected facilities had one leak each, except the 12” Imo River 2-Ogale Pipeline, which experienced two leaks at the same theft points in Isietitioha Owaza, Ukwa West LGA of Abia State.
All the four leaks were recorded on land terrain; the volume of each spill ranges from 4 barrel to 202 barrels in each of the spill site.
JIV reports endorsed by the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, host communities and State Ministry of Environment in the impacted states and SPDC, showed that all the four leaks were caused by sabotage and third party interference.
No recoverable oil was found in all the spill sites, recovery, assessment and site certification is expected to be completed in most sites this November 2020.
