Fresh oil spill recorded in Bayelsa community, says NOSDRA

The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) says a fresh oil spill was recorded in the Nembe creek in Bayelsa state.

According to NAN on Wednesday, NOSDRA confirmed the oil leak from the Nembe oilfields operated by Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Limited.

The leak, according to NAN, occurred on June 17 at a section of the 97-kilometer Nembe creek trunk line (NCTL), which previously fed the Bonny oil export terminal in Rivers.

Solomon Ukponevi, head of NOSDRA’s field office in Yenagoa, said Aiteo reported the incident to the agency on June 19.

Ukponevi explained that the agency had deployed its officials to the spill site to determine the cause and volume of crude oil discharged to the environment.

He said the joint investigative visit (JIV) scheduled for Wednesday would ascertain the impacted area.

“I will not be able to provide details until staff deployed for the JIV return from the fields, but I can tell you that Aiteo has reported the spill and investigation is underway,” Ukponevi said.

Similarly, Aiteo had on November 5, 2021, reported a hydrocarbon wellhead leak in its Santa Barbara south-west field caused by sabotage.

The leak was blocked one month later.