The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) on Monday, December 16, 2024, said the reported oil leak from the Bonny Oil Export Terminal will not affect oil export.
SPDC noted that the incident affected only a section at one out of the three loading buoys which has been isolated.
Mrs. Gladys Afam-Anadu, SPDC’s Media Relations Manager, disclosed in a telephone chat that the cause of the incident, volume of crude discharged is being investigated.
She explained that the Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) to the incident site led by regulatory agencies has been scheduled for Monday.
“On December 8, 2024, an oil sheen was detected at a loading buoy during export operations at Bonny Terminal.
“Loading was immediately suspended. Our Emergency Response Team has been activated and regulatory authorities and other stakeholders have been notified.
“A joint investigation visit, led by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency is underway.
“Our priority currently is the safety, health and well-being of the local community and the environment.
“Our environmental team is therefore, actively monitoring the situation and preparing for the implementation of containment and clean-up to minimise any environmental impact,” Afam-Anadu said.
The facility has a peak capacity to load 1.25 million barrels of Bonny Light Crude blend.
In a related development, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), a subsidiary of Shell plc, has announced a final investment decision (FID) on Bonga North, a deep-water project off the coast of Nigeria.
The Bonga North project involves drilling, completing, and starting up 16 wells (eight production and eight water injection wells), modifications to the existing Bonga Main FPSO and the installation of new subsea hardware tied back to the FPSO.
The project will sustain oil and gas production at the Bonga facility. Bonga North currently has an estimated recoverable resource volume of more than 300 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) and will reach a peak production of 110,000 barrels of oil a day, with first oil anticipated by the end of the decade.
“This is another significant investment, which will help us to maintain stable liquids production from our advantaged Upstream portfolio,” said Zoë Yujnovich, Shell’s Integrated Gas and Upstream Director.
Bonga North will help ensure Shell’s leading Integrated Gas and Upstream business continues to drive cash generation into the next decade.
