• Friday, March 29, 2024
businessday logo

BusinessDay

Fire at Chevron’s facility may take weeks to put off

Fire at Chevron’s facility may take weeks to put off
The fire raging in Chevron’s abandoned oil well, Ojumole Well 1, which has been on since last week, may not be extinguished soon because of the terrain the well is located.
It may take weeks to put off the fire, according to some experts, who were not specific about how many weeks it might be.

 

According to oil and gas industry sources, those who have fair knowledge of the Well say it is located in a swampy terrain and the kind of equipment required to put the fire out cannot go through the terrain as it may get stocked in the mud.

 

They say in some cases the movement of the equipment may depend on ocean tide, if the tide is low the equipment would not be able to get in there and if this is the situation the contractor might have to wait till when tide is high for a safe sail to the site of the well.

 

One of the sources told BusinessDay that a proper channel was being dredged to allow the equipment easy passage to the site, saying the fire might be killed through either top-to-bottom approach or bottom-to-top, whichever way it best way possible would applied for the safety of the generality of the people
Chevron had last week Thursday confirmed fire at Ojumole Well 1, but reiterates commitment to protecting lives, environment.

 

Esimaje Brikinn, general manager, Policy Government & Public Affairs (PGPA), who confirmed the incident on in a statement, reiterated the company’s commitment to the protection of lives and the environment in its operations, said that “at about 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, 2019, a fire was observed at the Ojumole Well No. 1, an idle and plugged well with no flowline connected to it.”

 

Chevron blames Ojumole Well fire on third party interference.
He disclosed, “Ojumole field is in NNPC/CNL JV’s Western Niger Delta area of operations,” adding, “CNL conducted an overflight to evaluate the fire and also mobilised emergency responders to assess the site, contain the fire and boom the area.”
According to Brikinn, CNL has notified the community’s stakeholders about the incident and also reported it to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and other regulatory and security authorities.
He said from investigations carried out, a third party was responsible for the fire incident at the site.

 

“A Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the site of the incident on Saturday, April 20, 2019, by a team made up of regulatory agencies, community stakeholders and CNL, determined that the fire incident was caused by third-party interference.

 

“There was no impact to any of the neighbouring communities. CNL is currently working with contractors to safely put out the fire as quickly as possible,” the GM added.

 

Brikinn averred, “CNL remains committed to the safety of the communities and the environment in its areas of operation” and will continue to conduct its “operations safely, reliably and efficiently, with the utmost consideration for protection of people and the environment.”