Trans Niger Pipeline with nation’s Bonny Light crude shut down

The nation’s Trans Niger Pipeline, which carries Bonny Light crude oil, has been shut down as a “precautionary measure” after a fire was observed, a spokesman for the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) said on Monday.

It was not yet clear whether the export supplies would be subject to force majeure, according to Shell.

The SPDC spokesman said that a fire was spotted on the “right of way” on the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) at Gio in Ogoni land, one of two pipelines that export Bonny Light crude oil. The line is also the right of way for a Bonny-refinery pipeline belonging to the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of state oil company NNPC.

“A joint investigation visit will determine the cause and impact of the fire,” the spokesman said.