Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company (AEEPCO), operator of the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29, on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, announced the shutting of its Nembe Oilfields following a leak.
AEEPCO, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr Ndianabasi Mathew, said that the field was shut as a precautionary measure to safeguard the environment from further degradation.
“AEEPCO, operator of the OML 29, confirms it has detected an oil leak at its Nembe swamp facility in OML 29, Nembe Kingdom, Bayelsa State. The leak was reported on Monday, June 17, 2024, during routine operations.
“AEEPCO’s Oil Spill and Emergency Response Team were immediately activated and all production from OML 29 shut down. This is a precautionary measure while mobilising additional resources to contain the spill.
“The cause of the spill is currently undetermined. However, we are proactively engaging with stakeholders to mitigate the immediate effects,” Mathew said.
The spokesman quoted AEEPCO’s Group Managing Director, Victor Okoronkwo, as saying: “During our operations on Monday, June 17, 2024, the subject leak was detected. A Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) with stakeholders has been initiated to determine the cause of this incident.
“While we regret the production losses to the Joint Venture and the nation and the potential environmental impact, our current priority is to expedite an efficient spill management process in line with regulatory standards and collaborate with all stakeholders to restore production and mitigate associated risks.
“Our joint venture partners and the relevant regulators; The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) have been notified of the incident.”
NOSDRA has scheduled a Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) to ascertain the cause of the spill, estimated volume of crude spilled and its impact on the environment.
Mr Solomon Ukponevi, Head of NOSDRA’s field Office in Yenagoa, said on Wednesday that the agency was investigating the incident.
Meanwhile, NOSDRA has confirmed the leak from the Nembe Oilfields operated by Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Limited at Nembe in Bayelsa.
Mr Solomon Ukponevi, Head of NOSDRA’s field Office in Yenagoa, confirmed the development on Wednesday in Yenagoa.
He said that the oil firm reported the incident to the agency on Tuesday.
He explained that the Agency had deployed its officials to the spill site to ascertain the cause and volume of crude oil discharged to the environment.
On the extent of the pollution, Ukponevi said that the Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) scheduled for Wednesday would determine the area among other details.
“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,” he said.
The leak occurred on Monday at a section of the 97-kilometre Nembe Creek Trunk line (NCTL) that hitherto fed the Bonny Oil Export Terminal in Rivers.
Following persistent vandalism on the oil export line with capacity to evacuate 180,000 barrels of crude daily, Aiteo resorted to using barges to convey crude from the Nembe fields.
The barges are used to transport crude from onshore oil wells to a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel from which Aiteo exports the Nembe Crude blend to crude tankers.
By Nathan Nwakamma
