The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA has confirmed the oil spill from Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, 16″ NUN River-Kolo creek pipeline at Obololi community in Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa State.
NOSDRA in a statement signed by it’s Director General/Chief Executive, Engr. Chukwuemeka Woke said the oil spillage was confirmed by a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) set up by the agency immediately the report of the spillage was received.
Woke said though the cause of the spill is unknown because the suspected leak point/pipeline is submerged in the water implying that the JIV is inconclusive.
“Following the receipt of the report, the Agency convened and held a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the incident area on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
“The JIV was led by the Agency, and the investigation team comprised relevant stakeholders including SPDC (the operator), the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment, and the Community to establish the indices around the incident and recommend necessary regulatory compliance actions to mitigate it,” he said.
According to him, the SPDC is preparing a coffer dam to enable the team get access to the spill point and the containment of the spill area have been completed.
He added that temporary storage tanks are in transit to the spill location; and
Recovery of free phase oil has commenced already.
“The Agency is actively monitoring the ongoing response and continuously evaluating the situation to ensure that appropriate response actions are deployed accordingly and will provide further details as events unfold,” he said.
(Independent)
