SPDC restrains 213 barrels of crude from polluting environment — spokesman

The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), says it restrained 213 barrels of crude oil from polluting the Bayelsa environment when a leakage occurred at its Ikarama facility in the state.

Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, SPDC’s Media Relations Manager, who confirmed the incident, however, said that 110 barrels spilled into the environment when the facility was shut to prevent further spread.

Odugbesan also confirmed that a “Joint Investigative Visit’’ to ascertain the cause of the leakage had been concluded.

A JIV report obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the incident from SPDC’s web portal, said the incident occurred on April 7, while the investigation was concluded on April 12.

JIV is a statutory probe into the cause of any recorded spill incident involving oil firms, regulators, host communities and state Ministries of Environment.

The report concluded that the spill was an operational mishap traced to equipment failure which impacted nearby palm trees and fish ponds.

The report indicated that an estimated 1.34 hectares of land was impacted by the leakage which followed a rupture on the pipeline.

According to it, ongoing oil recovery will be concluded before the end of April.

It also recommended replacement of sections of the pipeline to restore its integrity.