Aiteo Reports Leak on Oil Facility, Begins Reparation

Emmanuel Addeh

Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company (AEEPCO), operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC /Aiteo Joint Venture (JV) on OML 29 has reported an oil spill from one of its facilities.

It was learnt that the incident, which happened on Friday, November 5, 2021 occurred on a non-producing well head in its Santa Barbara South field, in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

A Spokesman for the company, Mr. Matthew Ndiana, in a statement, disclosed that the magnitude of the incident “is of an extremely high order”, stating that neither the cause of the spill nor the quantity of leaked hydrocarbon could be determined at the time of the discovery.

However, Aiteo noted that containment booms were deployed, adding that recovery commenced immediately around the wellhead.

“As an incident of this nature imports, the necessary oil spill notification report has been promptly communicated to the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission(NUPRC) and the National Petroleum Investment Management Services(NAPIMS) as is required by regulation,” the company stated.

The indigenous oil firm explained that a Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) to the spill site had been held by all relevant stakeholders, including the community, but said the process at the time, was inconclusive, owing to difficulties in accessing the area due to high pressure of hydrocarbons from the wellhead.

Additionally, the company stressed that immediate efforts to control the leak were aborted due to the high pressure emanating from the well head.

“Consequently, Aiteo has mobilised a full intervention team with well control specialists and equipment, both locally and internationally to arrest the leak,” the company pointed out.

It explained that the JIV team commended the company for its prompt emergency response and handling of the incident, declaring that further investigations on the cause of the mishap were being undertaken and will be accelerated after the well has been shut in.

“Preliminary indications suggest that crude oil theft leaks and sabotage cannot be ruled out,” it noted.