Mobil shuts pipeline due to oil spills

MOBIL Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN), operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC/MPN) Joint Venture, has confirmed that on 9 November, an oil release occurred around its operation offshore Akwa Ibom State.

In a statement by the company, signed by its spokesman, Mr. Nigel Cookey-Gam, and made available to Sunday Tribune on Sarurday, the source of the leak was identified and the pipeline was isolated and shutdown.

“Emergency response personnel and equipment have been deployed. Regulatory and community representatives have been notified,” it stated.

It said arrangement had been made for representatives of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Environment and local community to overfly the area.


“We regret this incident has occurred and we are committed to maintaining high safety, health and environmental standards in our operations. An investigation into the cause of the release is ongoing,” it concluded.

There was an oil spill in August near MPN facility that residents said left a slick running for miles along the coastline of Akwa Ibom.

Italian oil firm, Eni, said on Friday it had declared force majeure on Brass River oil loadings from Nigeria, due to floods, which have submerged part of the southern oil-producing Niger Delta in recent weeks.

Flooding, combined with oil theft, prompted Shell to declare force majeure on two other large oil streams, Bonny Light and Forcados, late October.

Oil spills are common in onshore Niger Delta due to widespread theft by oil gangs tapping into pipelines and the poor maintenance of some ageing infrastructure.

But offshore spills are less common. Last December, an accident at Shell's offshore Bonga facility spilled an estimated 40,000 barrels, one of the largest in Nigeria's history.