Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, SPDC experienced 73 oil spill incidents across the Niger Delta, as a result operational failure and sabotage in the second half of the year 2020.
The Dutch oil firm experienced leaks caused by corrosion and equipment failure on nine occasions during the period under review, while 64 cases were as a result of sabotage, vandalism and third party interference.
Similarly, the oil multinational discharged into the Niger Delta environment 102.7barrels of crude through operational failure, while 4,199.48 barrels was spewed through sabotage, amounting to 4,309.18barrels in total; which is 30.1percent lower than 6,165.58 recorded in the first half of 2020.
Data obtained from company’s website shows that between July and December 2020, the Dutch firm experienced leaks in Delta, Abia, Rivers, Imo and Bayelsa States amounting to over 4,309.18 barrels of crude.
The affected facilities include, 14″ Okordia-Rumuekpe Pipeline, 12″ Adibawa-Okordia Pipeline, 18″ Assa-Rumuekpe Pipeline, 28” Bomu-Bonny Pipeline, 12″ Forcados low pressure delivery line, 20″ Rumuekpe-Nkpoku Pipeline and 20” Kolocreek-Rumuekpe Pipeline.
Others are, 28″ Nkpoku-Bomu Pipeline, 20″ Kolocreek-Rumuekpe Pipeline, 12” Imo River-Ogale Pipeline, 36″ Nkpoku-Ogale Pipeline, 8″ Nkali-Imo River Pipeline, and 4” Imo River2-Imo River1 Bulkline, 16″Egbema-Assa Pipeline, 4” Kanbo Well 5L Flowline, 18” Obele flow station and 20” Trans-Escravos Pipeline.
63 of the leaks were recorded on land assets, eight occurred on a swampy terrain, while two were recorded on water; the volume of each spill ranges from 0.01barrel to 402 barrels in some 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 nine of these leaks were caused by operational failure, while 64 were caused by third party.
While no recoverable oil was found in some of the spill sites, repair work had been completed in some sites; repair work and crude recovery were still ongoing in other sites, while assessment would be completed in some of the sites this year.
