We’ve taken measures to clean, contain Nembe oil spill — NAOC

The Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) has acknowledged that an oil spill did occur in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State along the 24” Ogoda/Brass pipeline belonging to NEPL/NAOC/OOL Joint Venture, operated by NAOC. It added that the said oil spill was duly reported to the regulatory agencies concerned and that it has taken measures to clean up and contain the spill.

Nigerian Tribune had earlier reported that a section of NAOC’s pipeline in Ogoda/Brass in Bayelsa State has continued to pollute Fantuo/Egenkiri and neighbouring communities with repeated oil spills since 2019. The most recent oil spill was said to have occurred on July 2.

A civil society organisation, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) issued a statement calling on NAOC to replace the faulty section of the pipeline.

ERA/FoEN said it made the call in a statement following a Save Our Souls message from the people of Fantuo about a serious oil spill at an Agip pipeline located at Egenkiri, near Fantuo.

Accompanied by the Community Development Chairman (CDC) of Fantuo community, ERA/FoEN and a team of media representatives had visited the site of the oil spill at the Egenkiri 3 and 4 fishing settlements where Agip’s Riser 15a is situated in the middle of a creek, which appeared to be the company’s Right of Way (ROW), in Fantuo territory.

NAOC has, however, reacted in a statement made available to Nigerian Tribune. The company stated that: “With respect to the event reported on July 3, 2023, an oil spill occurred in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State along the 24” Ogoda/Brass pipeline belonging to NEPL/NAOC/OOL Joint Venture, operated by NAOC.

“The regulatory agencies, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) were immediately notified while a Joint Inspection Visit (JIV) together with the regulatory agencies, the representatives of the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment and the host community was carried out.”

The oil company added that “NAOC immediately deployed measures to clean and contain the spread of the oil, including placement of river booms. The leakage is contained by the existing cofferdam and is under reparation.

“NAOC is strongly committed to asset integrity as well as environmental protection and always intervenes to remediate spills, be them operational or due to third party interferences.”

Locals say that the incessant oil spills around the area have disrupted fishing activities around the fishing camps, depriving the people of their source of livelihood, coupled with the health and environmental consequences of such repeated spills, endangering the existence of the fishermen.