Shell confirms oil spill, repairs in Rivers community
Oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited has confirmed a spill on its Trans Niger Pipeline in Elelenwo in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The company, however, said the spill resulting from a leak on the pipeline has been contained and repairs completed.
Recall that some residents of Rumuoduwere community in Elelenwo, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, earlier this week decried the oil spill in the area which they said destroyed their farmlands and underground water.
An opinion leader in the area, Martin Enwuka who showed newsmen round the scene of the spill said some residents had fled the community due to the incident and called on Shell to respond immediately so that those who left could return.
But the SPDC in a statement by its Media Relations Manager, Gladys Afam-Anadu on Wednesday, said production into the line was immediately halted as a precautionary measure to pave the way for repairs.
Afam-Anadu, further said the company’s oil spill response team was dispatched to inspect the scene on receiving the report of the incident.
She disclosed that the repairs followed the conduct of a Joint Investigation Visit, pointing out that after the repairs of the faulty line, it is now in operation, even as the oil firm promised to continue talks with the community to address the fallouts.
The statement reads, “The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) received a report on August 21st of a leak on the 28-inch Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) at the Elelenwo manifold in Rivers State.
“As a precautionary measure, production into the line was immediately halted, and our Oil Spill Response team was dispatched to the site for inspection, containment, and recovery operations.
“A Joint Investigation Visit has been conducted. The repair of the line has been successfully completed and the line is back in operation. We expect to conclude our discussions with the community in the coming weeks regarding the impact that this spill has caused.”
