The Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) on Wednesday explained that
it responded within 24 hours after a pipeline blast by vandals at its Taylor
Creek oilfields in Aug 2019 and shut the facility to curtail further
degradation of the environment.
The explanation is coming on the heels of outcry that the oil
firm abducted its responsibility of operating in an environmentally sustainable
manner by leaving the site without remediation for close to one year.
Eni, the Italian parent company of NAOC in a statement issued by
a spokesperson said delays in the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) and fixing
pipeline in May 2020 were caused by security concerns and not negligence by
NAOC.
It was earlier reported that NAOC has plugged the leak on its
ruptured pipeline at its Taylor Creek fields, Kalaba community, Yenagoa LGA of
Bayelsa about one year after oil spilled on the facility.
Residents of the area said that the damaged point on the
pipeline continued to spew crude oil and gas into the community’s environment
since July 30, 2019, when the line was blown up by unknown persons.
Mr Idris Musa, the Director-General of NOSDRA said finding but
personnel deployed on a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) indicated that the
vandal used explosives to destroy the pipeline.
Eni noted that vandalism was an obstacle to the smooth
operations and caused incalculable damage to the environment.
“The spill was caused on a minor well flowline by a third party
interference, more specifically a blast by an explosive device, occurred on
August 3, 2019.
“Within 24 hours from receipt of the notification of an
incident, the facility , both flowline and well , were shut in and has remained
closed since.
“The immediate action allowed to contain the volume of the
spill, which amounts to 12 barrels. The area impacted by the spill falls mainly
within the company’s right of way.
“The Joint Investigation Visit, which includes Company
personnel, Government Regulatory Agencies and Community representatives, was
repeatedly postponed due to security challenges which prevented inspectors to
visit the area.
“Only after a long engagement with the community, the
investigators team was able to visit the area on May 31, 2020.
“NAOC restates that third party interferences result in losses
for the Company as well as significant damage for the environment and the
communities.
“This is why the Company has developed an integrated strategy to
prevent, reduce, contain and remediate these events and their impact, and will
spare no effort to ensure asset and production integrity,” the statement read
in part.
However, members of the oil firm’s host community had attributed
the delays to the non chalant attitude of the oil firm which compelled them to
seek the intervention of the regulators.
Mr Samuel Oburo, the Chairman of Kalaba Community Development
Committee (CDC), had said that NAOC mobilised to site toward the end of May.
He said that the oil firm had remained adamant and its belated
response followed intense pressure the community.
According to him, the community pressurised NAOC through
petitions to NOSDRA, the Bayelsa Ministry of Environment and advocacy by the
Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN).
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