NOSDRA moves in Bonny oil spill that has spread to Oyorokoto oceanic town

…SPDC details containment measures but community kicks

Oil spills said to be of large scale have been reported along the coastal areas from Bonny to as far as Oyorokoto oceanic town in Andoni local council area.

This is as top officials of the National Oil Spillage Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) have moved into action prior to joint inspection visit (JIV) that is about to take off.

A community claiming massive damage from the first wave of the spills believed to have occurred about two weeks ago has fired off a petition to NOSDRA but another wave has been reported to have occurred on December 13, 2024. The legal adviser to the community did not pin the spill to any one oil operator in Bonny but officials of SPDC have begun containment actions in the case of the latest incident of December 13.

A reliable source in one of the inspection teams reported that the anomaly (spill) seen at about 40km west of the platform had been moving eastwards nearing shore. Many understand this mean that the spill was heading to the ocean maybe through Oyorokoto.

Images seen by some energy reporters showed community people especially women scooping the crude from the waters into containers which have lined the community roads as if for sale.
The surface of the river seen by newsmen is black and glistening with crude oil.

Read also: Bayelsa community reports ‘mystery’ oil spill to NOSDRA

Now, Emeka Woke, the Director-General and Chief Executive of NOSDRA, along with senior management team members, conducted what is considered a critical assessment visit to the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Port Harcourt.

This urgent visit is aimed to evaluate SPDC’s comprehensive efforts in managing the oil spill incident in Bonny, which subsequently affected the Oyorokoto community.

The discussion centered around the effectiveness of SPDC’s initial intervention and the ongoing measures to contain and mitigate the spill’s impact on local communities.

Woke, an engineer, expressed appreciation for SPDC’s proactive steps, emphasizing the importance of not just stopping further leakage but also alleviating community distress and preventing the spill’s spread.

Woke stated, “Our presence here ahead of the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) scheduled for tomorrow underscores our commitment to ensuring the site’s readiness for addressing the containment strategies. It is imperative that we assess both the immediate measures and long-term plans to manage and remediate the spill’s effects.”

Throughout the visit, NOSDRA was said to have underscored its dual role of environmental stewardship and rapid response capability, and Woke highlighted their recent provisional approval for the use of dispersants to control the spill, reinforcing NOSDRA’s dedication to minimizing ecological damage and collaborating closely with industry partners for effective solutions.

Read also: Oil spill occurs at Shell terminal in Nigeria

Further emphasizing NOSDRA’s concern over potential shoreline breaches, Sola Oladipo, Director of Planning, Policy Analysis and Research of NOSDRA, reinforced the agency’s focus on preventing further environmental degradation and safeguarding national interests.

In response, Abatam Nwosu, an engineer and Commander of Emergency Response at Shell Nigeria, reiterated SPDC’s commitment to prioritizing community safety and environmental protection. He said: “Our protocols are stringent, focusing first on human safety and environmental integrity.”

He added: “We’ve enacted multiple responsive actions, including containment via maritime vessels, though pinpointing leak origins in open waters is complex. We are working in alignment with NOSDRA and appreciate continued support, especially in conducting source analysis.”

He further elaborated on the complexities involved, mentioning potential additional spillage from another operator pipeline and the necessity for analytical sampling to ascertain spill origins amidst multiple operational activities offshore.

The delegation, including Ime Ekanem, Assistant Director, Zonal Head, Port Harcourt Zonal Office, concluded the visit with a reinforced commitment to sustained cooperation, aiming to enhance both immediate response measures and long-term environmental recovery strategies.

Petition:
According to a petition fired to NOSDRA from some communities named as Ngoh, Ete, Ibot Okpon Mbaba, and Amansan in the Oyorokoto Community, Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, the communities said they have faced trauma since their waters were overrun by the spill.

The letter written by M.D Endurance and Co. and endorsed by the Director, Moses Endurance, with office at Olu Obasanjo Road in Port Harcourt, said they are consultants representing the people communities.

The petition went on thus: “Our clients have informed us of oil pollution at Andoni River in Oyorokoto Community that occurred on 13th December 2024, which was traced to one of the facilities of the following suspected companies operating in the Andoni/Bonny Waters: Green Energy International Ltd, Amni International Petroleum Development Company Ltd, Lekoil Nig. Ltd, SPDC, and TotalEnergies.

“The spill has caused significant contamination of water sources and soil, destroyed fish pots and nets, and resulted in the loss of aquatic life, thereby severely impacting the livelihoods of our clients, who are predominantly fishermen.

“Since the pollution/spill on 13th December 2024, our clients have been in trauma due to the unexpected environmental disaster that has affected their primary source of sustenance.

“On 14th December 2024, a team of SPDC personnel, accompanied by security officials, traced the spill to the communities in question. Attached herewith are the coordinates of the pollution, along with pictures and details of the SPDC personnel who visited the site via flying boats.”

SPDC has since articulated measures being taken and NOSDRA says it is monitoring the steps so far and joint inspection visit is scheduled in few hours to come.