The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) says the leak on the moribund Trans-Niger Pipeline in Bodo community, Rivers state, was caused by third-party interference.
The pipeline is operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company joint venture (SPDC JV).
Residents had told TheCable that the underground pipeline discharged crude oil into the environment and spreading to farmlands since last Tuesday.
But NOSDRA described the incident as a liquid release, adding that a joint investigation visit (JIV) was launched last Wednesday.
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Giving an update on Monday, Idris Musa, director-general, NOSDRA, told TheCable that the pipeline was vandalised.
“The JIV showed that it was third-party interference. It was a vandalised pipeline. It is a 28-inch Trans-Niger pipeline going to Bonny, and the pipeline has been shut down for some time now. What is inside it is water. So what came out was oily water,” the director-general said.
“The cleanup of the place is going to be done by SPDC.”
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Commenting on the incident, a spokesperson for the SPDC had told TheCable that “owing to the level of theft, the SPDC JV-owned Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP) has not been carrying crude oil since mid-June”.
The Trans-Niger Pipeline, a major pipeline capable of transporting about 180,000 barrels of crude per day, had been reported to be moribund since mid-June due to theft.
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