25 March 2014, Sweetcrude, Lagos – The Shell Petroleum Development Co. of Nigeria joint venture declared force majeure on liftings of Forcados crude at 09:00 local time (1000 GMT) Tuesday amid repair work to the grade’s export pipeline, SPDC said in a statement.
Earlier in the month, third-party crude oil exports from the Forcados terminal in Nigeria were suspended after a leak was discovered on the subsea crude export line.
“The subsea line was shut when a leak was discovered on March 4, 2014, leading to suspension of SPDC and third-party crude oil exports through the terminal,” the statement said.
The statement added that an investigation has been carried out to find the exact cause of the leak.
“A joint investigation conducted by representatives of communities, SPDC, regulators and security agencies determined that the leak was caused by third-party interference; unknown persons had installed a crude theft point on the line in water depth of about eight metres…SPDC has mobilized equipment and materials to the site, and is working to repair and reopen the line as soon as possible,” the statement said.
Forcados is a sweet crude with a low metals content. The grade loads from the Shell-operated Forcados terminal in the Niger Delta.