Massive Oil Spill in Shell’s Crude Pipeline in Bayelsa

A massive oil spill has occurred from a pipeline belonging to the Shell Petroleum Development Company (Shell) in the Kolo Creek oil field operation in Bayelsa, a company official has confirmed.

Mr Joseph Obari, SPDC spokesman, on Wednesday stated that the oil giant would react to the development in due course, even as he refused to to expansive on the cause of the spill.

Thisday gathered that immediately the spill was noticed in the early hours of yesterday, the company moved to contained it. However, the oil was said to have moved down the creek before it was boomed from spreading further.

A community source said that the situation was saved because the creek is not flowing fast as the rains have not arrived in the area. He however lamented that the spill has already impacted farmlands and vegetation in the area.

“We do not know exactly when the oil leak started but this morning we saw crude leaking from the pipeline into the road and when we got there soldiers had already cordoned off the whole area.

“They do not allow us to get near to find out the possible cause of the leak on the pipeline, we woke up this early morning to see this in our community.

“ I believe that the soldiers must have reported the incident so that they can shut down the pipeline crude feed to forestall further damage to the environment, but oil is still gushing out of the line, ” Okpu said.

Shell, the nation's largest oil company operates the Kolo Creek Flowstation and a gas gathering plant that feeds the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) plants in Bonny, Rivers state from the oil and gas field in Kolo creek area.

When contacted, Lt.-Col Ado Isa, Media Coordinator of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta saddled with the responsibility of protecting oil installations said that he was yet to get the reports about the spill.

SOURCE: Thisday