NOSDRA fines oil firm N260m for oil spillage

National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has sanctioned Python Engineering Company Limited of No. 94 Enerhen Road, Warri, Delta, over an oil spill caused by MV Celine on April 19, 2018.

According to the letter obtained by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, April 8, 2019 in Abuja, the company is to pay N260 million as sanction for oil spillage.

The company is accused of spilling Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and lubricating oil in Escravos in April 2018.

In a letter to the company, NOSDRA stated as follows:

“It has come to the attention of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) that your company is in violations of the NOSDRA enabling act with respect to the oil spillages caused by your vessel, MV Celine.

“The oil spills of estimated quantities of two hundred and fifty (250Nos) barrels of AGO and two (2Nos) drums of lubricating oil which occurred on April 19, 2018 by your vessel at 0615 hrs at Escravos breakwater, Delta State, was not reported to the agency as required by Section 6 (2) of NOSDRA Act  2006.

“Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) was not carried out as required by Section 2(5) of the agency’s regulation SI 25 (oil spill recovery, clean-up, remediation and damage assessment regulation, 2011)

1. The spills were not cleaned-up as required by section 6(3) of the NOSDRA act 2006.
2. Post-Spill Impact Assessment (PSIA) was not carried out as required by Section 19(1) (C) of the agency’s enabling act of 2006
3. Assessment of damage caused by the spill incident was not carried out as required by Section 19(1) (g) of the agency’s enabling act of 2006

In view of the forgoing, you are hereby directed as follows:

1. Pay to agency through the TSA platform the sum of one hundred and thirty million (N130, 000, 000, 00) each for the AGO and lubricating oil releases, being sanctions against your company for violations of Section 6 (2) of the NOSDRA act of 2006 within twenty one (21Nos) days of receipt of this letter.
2. Logistic(s) should be provided within three (3Nos) days of receipt of this letter by your company for a JIV, PSIA and damage assessment as required by the relevant provisions of the NOSDRA enabling act of 2006 and regulation S.I 25 of 2011 as stated above.’’

By Ebere Agozie