The National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has commenced investigation into an oil spill incident at Obololi community in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The leak which was detected last Sunday, is said to emanate from the 16 inch Nun River-Kolo Creek pipeline, belonging to the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
According to locals, the leak has discharged a yet-to-be-ascertained volume of crude into the River Nun, impacting adjourning areas around Obololi.
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Director General of NOSDRA, Chukwuemeka Woke, in a statement on Friday, explained that the agency got a report of the incident on Monday, and convened a joint investigative visit to the incident site to ascertain the cause of the spill.
“The joint investigative visit was led by NOSDRA and the investigating team comprised relevant stakeholders, including SPDC (the operator), the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment and the community to establish the indices around the incident.
“The joint investigative visit is to recommend necessary regulatory compliance actions to mitigate the spill’s impact.
“The cause of the spill is unknown because the suspected leak point/pipeline is submerged in water, implying that the joint investigative visit is inconclusive. SPDC is preparing a coffer dam to get access to the spill point,” NOSDRA stated.
Woke said that the containment of the spill area has been completed, while temporary storage tanks were in transit as recovery of spilled crude will commence today (Friday).
The agency said it is actively monitoring the ongoing response, and is continuosly evaluating the situation to ensure that appropriate response actions are deployed appropriately.
