Leakage from an oilfield operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) at Aghoro community in Bayelsa has discharged some 1,114 barrels of crude oil into the environment.
The leakage has adversely affected the fishing vocation of residents who had withdrawn from fishing to pave way for clean up.
The resulting oil spill impacted and polluted an estimated area of 113.03 hectares, according to a joint Investigation Visit (JIV) report of the incident.
A disagreement among community leaders in the areas affected by the leak stalled the release of the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) report of the oil spill.
Community leaders, who participated in the JIV to determine the cause of the spill, reportedly refused to sign the report.
The refusal was attributed to wide disparity between the impacted areas claimed by Shell and the community, but Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, the Media Relations Manager at SPDC, said that the grey areas had been sorted out.
The report indicated that only 247.5 out of the 1,114 of SPDC’s crude blend had been recovered at the spill site, while the remaining were yet to be accounted for.
According to the spill incident report, the oil leak was reported on May 17, but the joint visit could not be immediately conducted until June 23.
The report said the spill was caused by equipment failure resulting from weak integrity of the 24 inch Trans Ramos Pipeline giving rise to cracks on the pipeline at Aghoro in Ekeremor Local Government area of Bayelsa.
Representatives of the host community, National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Bayelsa Ministry of Environment and SPDC, who conducted the investigation agreed on the findings and signed the report.
Repair work on the leaking pipeline is underway, while recovery of spilled oil from the site is still ongoing.
Reacting to the development, Odugbesan expressed regret about incessant spills on the Trans Ramos Pipeline, saying that although the May 17 spill was traced to equipment failure, other leaks were predominantly caused by sabotage.
“The rate of spills on the Trans Ramos Pipeline is very worrisome, for instance between April and May 26, spill incidents were reported on that line and out of these, 18 of them were caused by sabotage, eight were operational,” he said.
Tag: Oil Spill
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Shell’s oil spill pollutes over 113 hectares in Bayelsa
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JTF, Shell deny coercing Bayelsa community to endorse spill report
The Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta and oil major, Shell on Monday denied allegations of coercing the leadership of Aghoro 1 community in Bayelsa to sign a disputed report on oil spillage.
A disagreement in the areas impacted by an oil leak on the Trans Ramos Pipeline within Shell’s oilfield at Aghoro communities in Bayelsa has stalled the release of a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) report of the oil spill.
Community leaders, who participated in the JIV to determine the cause of the spill reportedly refused to sign the report.
The refusal was attributed to wide disparity between the impacted areas claimed by Shell and the community.
Mr Victor Akamu, Chairman of the Community Development Committee of Aghoro 1, had alleged that Shell connived with the JTF to force and intimidation, to compel the community to sign the report.
Akamu told News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Yenagoa that JTF summoned the community’s leadership to Yenagoa on Aug. 23 to force them to sign the JIV report but that the leaders refused to sign.
He said the team from Aghoro were labelled pipeline vandals and were profiled into the database of the JTF.
“We were taken to a room where detailed profiles of all of us were taken, including our finger prints, biometric details and our photographs.
“We were temporarily held down for almost three hours profiling before we were eventually told to go.
“I wanted to ask if it is part of JTF’s job to force a community to sign a JIV report.
“Shell should stop using JTF to intimidate our community. For the past 20 years, there is no history of pipeline vandalism.
“This leak was due to a ruptured pipeline, due to corrosion yet they call us vandals, it is unacceptable,” Akamu said.
However, reacting to the allegation of intimidation, Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, Media Relations Manager of Shell, denied use of force to compel the company’s host communities to sign the JIV report.
“Yes, there are issues with the JIV report. The representative of Aghoro 1 community did not agree with a portion of the JIV report but we have not used force.
“SPDC does not coerce parties to sign JIV reports,” Odugbesan said.
Similarly, the Commander of the JTF, Rear Adm. Apochi Suleiman, dismissed the allegations of intimidation made by Aghoro community.
He said that the military waded into the crisis to encourage both parties to adopt dialogue to resolve their differences to avert breach of peace.
“We conduct our duties in compliance with our rules of engagement. We invited the parties to mediate and encourage them to dialogue and use the established channels of resolving conflicts.
“I told them to resolve their differences on the negotiating table so that the operation is not disrupted. Our mandate is to safeguard oil facilities and we do not want the disagreement to degenerate further.
“We got reports that some persons were disrupting ongoing repairs of the ruptured pipelines and that was why some people were profiled.
“I was emphatic that we cannot tolerate anyone taking the law into his hands,” Suleiman said.
NAN investigations showed that the leak, which occurred on May 17 this year, discharged about 1,114 barrels of crude oil into the environment and polluted the Ramos River and farmlands.
The draft JIV report said the 1,114 barrels of crude impacted a total land area of 113.3 hectares in Aghoro 1 but the community claimed that the impacted area was 1825 hectares.
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Shell, Bayelsa community disagree on spill impact
A disagreement in the areas impacted by an oil leak on the Trans Ramos Pipeline within Shell’s oilfield at Aghoro communities in Bayelsa has stalled a joint investigation of the spill.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the leak , which occurred on May 17, 2018 discharged a yet to be ascertained volume of crude oil into the environment and polluted the river, farmlands and surroundings.
Shell said a Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) to ascertain the cause of the oil leak had been concluded but that the report was yet to be signed by all the parties.
Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, Media Relations Manager at SPDC, told NAN on Saturday in Yenagoa that the joint investigation was conducted by the oil major, representatives of the host community, government and regulatory agencies.
Odugbesan, however, said that report of the JIV, which commenced early last month was ready and awaiting signing by the communities but declined to give reasons for the delay in releasing the JIV report, adding that the oil firm had commenced clean up of impacted sites.
The JIV report is expected to unravel the cause of the spill, volume of oil discharged and the area adversely impacted, and volume of oil recovered in the spill incident as well as serve as a basis to determine compensation.
NAN learnt that Shell and representatives of the host communities had a sharp disagreement on the size of areas affected by the spill and hence refused to sign the report, which had disrupted ongoing clean up of the site.
Mr Sunday Benjamin, Chairman, Community Development Committee, Aghoro 1, who participated in the JIV said that the communities had argued that the spill had spread to wider areas and affected more places than the JIV covered.
“The cause of the stalemate is that Shell refused to accommodate satellite communities. They did not allow the JIV to be extensive. They excluded the satellite communities and fishing settlements.
“They only captured Aghoro 1 and 2, leaving other fishing settlements impacted by the crude oil that leaked into the waters. They recorded 33 acres for Aghoro 1 and 113 acres for Aghoro 2.
“We eventually signed our portion because we did not want delays in the process and our land affected was not much but Aghoro 2 people refused to sign that is why the JIV report is delayed.
“Everyone agreed that the spill was traced to ruptured pipeline on three points, due to corrosion on the Trans Ramos Pipeline,” Benjamin said.
Reacting to the development, Dr Peter Idabor, Director-General of the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency, told NAN in a telephone interview that the JIV was `‘inconclusive’’, following the disagreements.
“ From the feedback from our officers in Yenagoa, the JIV is inconclusive,” Idabor said.
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Oil spill: NGO seeks medical aid to Bayelsa community
The Oil and Gas Producing Areas Enlightenment and Empowerment Initiative (OGPAEEI), an NGO, has called for urgent medical assistant and supply of relief materials to Aghoro Community affected by oil spillage in Bayelsa.
Recall that the community, Aghoro 1 and 2, were affected by a spillage from the oilfield of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) on May 17.
The affected communities are located in Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state.
President of the NGO, Mr Jackson Igbabiri, told NAN in Yenagoa on Wednesday that the medical attention and other relief materials became necessary to ameliorate the suffering caused by the spillage on the people.
He explained that after their assessment on the incident, about 53 communities including fishing settlements were affected.
He said that the community based group was desirous of building a harmonious relationship between oil firms and host communities with a view to reducing conflicts and friction.
Igbabiri said that the most affect communities were those in Aghoro 1 including Famous Ama and Garden of Eden, among others, and urged the oil firm to make a comprehensive assessment of damages caused by the oil leak.
According to him, supplying the medical items would go a long way to curtail the spread of coughing and other related diseases usually caused by oil spill.
“We have conducted an assessment and we found out that many homes have been affected; we have met with SPDC but they are yet to respond; the water in those areas has been polluted.
“The farmland has been affected; fishing nets destroyed; coconut farm, plantain and other crops have been destroyed; source of water damaged because they drink from the rivers,’’ he said.
His Majesty, King Enimikem Famous of Famous Ama Community in Aghoro, urged the oil firm and Federal Government to assist the people with potable water and other relief materials.
“I have advised my people not to take the law into their hand, though, it has been very awkward on us but we want the whole matter to be settled in peace.
“We don’t want to cause any violence, what we want from the SPDC, federal government and other relevant bodies is to come to the aide of our people. Many of our children have been affected by cough and other diseases,’’ the traditional ruler said.
Reacting to the development, Dr Alice Aje, Manager, Stakeholder Relations, SPDC, said the oil firm was responding to the spill incident and sought the understanding of the community.
“We regret the spill because it has adversely affected our operations and business, we have shut operations and stopped the spill and we are in talks with our relevant stakeholders.
“It is our responsibility to clean up the spill and if it was found to be case by equipment failure, we shall pay compensation to those affected, that is our process,” Aje said.
She described the spill as “regrettable and unfortunate’’, adding that efforts are underway to convene a joint investigative visit with community representatives to probe the cause of the spill.
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Bayelsa Govt. drags Agip to court, demands N1.6trn compensation for 2013 oil spill
The Bayelsa State Government has dragged Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) to a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt over an oil spillage from the company’s SBM Sirius, in Brass Local Government Area of the state.
The government filed an originating summon through the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Kemeasuode Wodu.
According to the copy of the summons received by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Yenagoa, the state government is demanding N1.6 trillion compensation.
The court papers indicate that the damage claim is for general and exemplary damages from the spill, which occurred on November 27, 2013.
The originating summons, in compliance to Order 3 Rule 9 of the court, said the spill contravened the provisions of Regulation 13 of the Petroleum Regulation made pursuant to the Pursuant Act Cap P10 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
The Bayelsa government in the suit is also seeking an injunction restraining the defendant, from further discharging onto or allowing crude oil to the waters of and around the said SBM Sirius, Offshore Brass oil export facility.
Another relief sought include an order directing NAOC to provide potable drinking water for the communities in Bayelsa impacted by the said crude spillage from the said SBM Sirius operated by the defendant.
The Bayelsa government added that the defendant should be ordered to take all appropriate steps towards restoring the land, swamps, rivers and waters impacted by the spillage and pay compensation to all persons whose properties were destroyed.
It prayed the court to declare that the action or conduct of the defendant in allowing or causing petroleum to escape from its facility was as a result of operational error into the waters of and around the said SMB facility which flowed into the sea and parts of Bayelsa.
The plaintiff also demanded a declaration that the defendant by allowing or causing petroleum to escape from its facility as a result of its operational error, contravened Regulation 13 of the Petroleum Act Cap P10 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The Bayelsa government also want the court to declare that “the defendant is under a legal obligation to restore the lands, rivers, creeks and the entire environment impacted by the spill from on November 27, 2013 to their original state before they were impacted.”
The plaintiff also asked the court to declare that the defendant was under a legal obligation to pay compensation to all persons whose properties were polluted in the State by the said crude oil that escaped from the SBM Sirius facility.