……As NOSDRA investigates incident .
Isaac Money – Yenagoa
Following a devastating oil leak from its Nembe facility, the Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company (AEEPCO), operator of the NNPC / Aiteo Joint Venture on OML 29 Nembe Kingdom, Bayelsa state , says it has shut down operations .
In a statement from the company’s media aid, .Mathew Indiana, said the leak was reported on Monday, June 17, 2024, during routine operations.
Indiana disclosed that the AEEPCO’s Oil Spill and Emergency Response Team was immediately activated and all production from OML 29 shut down.
“This is a precautionary measure while mobilising additional resources to contain the spill.
“The cause of the spill is currently undetermined.However, we are proactively engaging with stakeholders to mitigate the immediate effects” said Indiana .
Commenting on the incident, AEEPCO’s Group Managing Director, Victor Okoronkwo, said: “During our operations on Monday, June 17, 2024, the subject leak was detected.
” A Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) with stakeholders has been initiated to determine the cause of this incident.
“While we regret the production losses to the Joint Venture and the nation and the potential environmental impact, our current priority is to expedite an efficient spill management process in line with regulatory standards and collaborate with all stakeholders to restore production and mitigate associated risks.”
Okoronkwo said Aiteo’s
joint venture partners and the relevant regulators, including the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) have been notified of the incident.
Reacting to the spill, Mr Solomon Ukponevi, Head of NOSDRA’s field Office in Yenagoa who confirmed the incident explained that the agency has deployed its
officials to the spill site to ascertain the cause and volume of crude oil discharged into the environment.
On the extent of the resulting pollution, Ukpenevi said that the Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) schedule for today (Wednesday) will determine the 8mpwcter area amongst other details.
“I will not be able to provide details until staff deployed for the JIV return from the fields but I can tell you that Aiteo has reported the spill and investigation is underway” he said.
The 97 kilometre Nembe Creek Trunkline NCTL) that hitherto fed the Bonny Oil Export Terminal in Rivers has since been discarded by.the indigenous firm which acquired the Nembe facility from Shell in 2015.
Following persistent vandalism on the oil export line with capacity to evacuate 180,000 barrels of crude daily, Aiteo resorted to using barges to convey crude from the Nembe fields.
The barges, smaller vessels are used to transport crude from onshore oil wells to a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel from which Aiteo exports the Nembe Crude blend to crude tankers in the Atlantic Ocean.
Sources at the oilfield say the operational mishap discharged large volumes of the Nembe Crude blend into the Atlantic Ocean and subsequently adjourning creeks.