Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited has confirmed an oil spill on its Trans Niger Pipeline, located in Elelenwo, within the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
According to The PUNCH, the oil giant revealed that the leak, which was responsible for the spill, has been effectively contained, and repairs on the pipeline have been completed.
Earlier in the week, residents of Rumuoduwere community in Elelenwo expressed their concerns over the oil spill, citing significant damage to their farmlands and contamination of underground water sources.
The incident has led some residents to abandon their homes.
A local opinion leader, Martin Enwuka, took journalists on a tour of the affected site and urged Shell to take swift action to allow displaced residents to return to their homes.
In response, SPDC’s Media Relations Manager, Gladys Afam-Anadu, released a statement on Wednesday, confirming that production along the affected pipeline was immediately suspended as a safety measure, allowing for necessary repairs to take place.
Afam-Anadu also mentioned that SPDC’s oil spill response team was promptly deployed to the site for inspection and to carry out containment and recovery operations.
The statement emphasized that a Joint Investigation Visit was conducted before the repair work commenced.
Following the successful repair of the damaged pipeline, the line has been restored to operation. SPDC also reassured the community that ongoing discussions would address the aftermath of the spill.
The statement read, “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.”
This spill has added to the list of environmental challenges faced by communities in the Niger Delta region, where oil spills have historically led to environmental degradation and disrupted livelihoods.
