Pipeline sabotage validates adoption of advanced technology in monitoring

Adoption of advanced technologies in pipeline monitoring can reduce the prevalence of pipeline vandalism said to be costing Nigeria 470 million daily loss of revenue.

BusinessDay Investigation revealed that oil producing countries are taking proactive steps to protect their critical infrastructure.

Russia, the world’s second producer of oil has engaged GMV, a worldwide technology and engineering consultancy, to pilot and develop an ongoing monitoring system for a 64-kilometer stretch of pipeline.

The company (GMV) adopts a proactive strategy of deploring Satellite imagery and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to create environmental maps and digital relief models to determine ideal placement of potential pipeline routes and monitoring installed pipelines.

Maria Ballester, Project Manager for GMV states, “Satellite imagery and related technologies have long been used to help build and monitor from an economical and environmental perspective but the problem of illegal taps and aging pipeline infrastructure is causing the industry to better use technology to develop strategic plans to proactively respond to these growing problems.”

London-based Silixa Limited provides modern pipeline management systems incorporating real-time leak detection and threat identification system. They utilise fibre cable and distributed sensing technology to monitor continuously the integrity of oil and gas pipelines against leaks and threats.

Some European countries use unmanned airborne or aerial vehicles while others employ optical sensors to monitor pipelines integrity. Optical sensors is the standard in Germany where a 24 hours a day, seven days a week monitoring is enforced.

They are similar to the Supervisory Control and Data acquisition (SCADA) systems operating through a network of remote terminal units (RTU) and a central host computer. They gather information and transfer data back to a central site providing detailed analysis and taking necessary automated actions on the way.

The Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), a recent technology in pipeline security creating an acoustic array of virtual microphones every 10 m along the fibre. The sound received from the virtual microphone is analysed and converted into a simple graphical display showing the operator what is happening along each individual section of fibre.

The cost of building this pipelines and fitting them with efficient technology monitoring systems are high.  According to a report by the Oil and Gas journal, in 2013 only, operators build more than 15,300 miles of oil and gas pipelines worldwide at a cost of more than $50 billion.

In September 2015, speaking at a one-day seminar on Security in the Gulf of Guinea organised by the Gusau Institute in Abuja, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu disclosed that measures to be used to protect pipelines includes drones, patrol of the county’s coastal waters, equipping and increasing the capabilities of the security services to carry out their responsibilities and the engagement of communities to police pipelines in their areas.

According to Kachikwu, “we lose on average about 50,000 barrels of oil. We lose about $3-$4 billion of revenue that is just in terms of crude oil. Last year alone, between June 2014 and June 2015, we recorded between 3,400 to 4,000 attacks on the various pipelines in the country. The effect is a shut-in of about 250,000 barrels a day and when you calculate that, you have a net loss of over $7 billion.”

BusinessDay understands that most of these technologies are not fully deplored. A check with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), statutorily mandated to protect pipelines that their personnel still routinely carry out surveillance of the network of pipelines in the country.

The agency tested a new drone fitted with infrared camera last year and at the event, the NSCDC Commandant General, Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu said, “we must find new ways to fight vandalism and this bold step is in line with the change crusade of the President.”  However, the spate of attacks shows that it has not been successful.

Analysts have observed that these measures are inadequate. Chambers Oyibo, former GMD of NNPC said, “If they seek the advice of security experts some of their proposed measures may work. Burying the pipelines deep in the earth will be a better solution but it is very expensive. Having people watch the pipelines has its risks. If they are vandalised at night, quick reaction may be impossible.”

Prior to his removal in 2014, the erstwhile GMD of NNPC Andrew Yakubu proposed deploying Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), a practice of installing underground pipes to the depth of up to 60 meters  without the need to dig trenches as pipes pulled along a prescribed bore path made through surface-launched drilling rigs. The continued spate of vandalism of these pipelines, analyst have said calls for a critical assessment of what cost-effective strategies  will be best suited to protect Nigeria’s over 16,000 kilometres of pipelines.

ISAAC ANYAOGU