Shell records ’51 oil spills’ in six months

Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) says it recorded 51 spills from oil production activities in the Niger Delta within the past six months.

Over the years, Shell has been accused of negligence on Niger Delta communities over the adverse effects of its production activities.

Earlier this year, a Dutch appeal court ruled against the Nigerian arm of the British-Dutch oil company, asking it to pay for damages caused by oil spills in the Niger Delta. 

According to the spill incident data published on its website, 44 of the spill incidents were traced to sabotage, while seven of the leaks were caused by operational factors.

“In May, eight spills which discharged 253.07 barrels of SPDC’s bonny light crude blended into the environment,” the firm stated. 

“Of the eight spills recorded, six were caused by sabotage whereas two were from operational factors.” 

The data also showed that operational spills accounted for 6.07 barrels of the 253.07 barrels, while sabotage accounted for 247 barrels.

In 2020, the oil company reported a total of 159 spills, with sabotage responsible for 140 incidents, while operational factors were responsible for 19.