Renaissance Energy Halts Production into Trans Niger Oil Pipeline

.Gas explosion destroys eight vehicles, buildings in Rivers

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt 

Nigerian oil firm, Renaissance Energy, has halted production into the country’s Trans Niger oil pipeline, a major oil artery transporting crude from onshore oilfields to the Bonny export terminal, following an operational incident, it disclosed yesterday.

This was as over eight vehicles and two buildings were burnt due to cooking gas explosion that occurred yesterday at a filling station in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

An environmental rights group said on Thursday that the pipeline burst on May 6 and spilled oil into the local B-Dere community in Ogoniland, the second such incident affecting the pipeline in two months.

Nigerian oil consortium Renaissance Group, which now owns Shell’s former onshore subsidiary that operates the pipeline, “immediately isolated the pipeline and halted production into the line,” Michael Adande, Reuters quoted spokesperson for Renaissance to have said.

“With co-operation from the B-Dere community, our experts accessed the site, clamped the pipeline and recovered spilled oil, with clean-up preparations now underway,” Adande added.

Renaissance said a team of investigators had confirmed that the incident was an operational one.

The Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), with a capacity of around 450,000 barrels per day, is one of two conduits that export Bonny Light crude from Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer.

Meanwhile,THISDAY gathered that the fire incident which occurred at Nobpet Filling Station opposite Air Force Base on Aba Road, destroyed about eight vehicles parked at the Ebonyi State Transport Corporation space, next to the filling station and injured about five persons.

An eyewitness revealed that the incident also partially burnt a church building and a lounge beside the station 

It was further gathered that an eruption allegedly occurred at the gas plant which is within the fuel station. According to the witness, “There was fabrication work going on by staff of the gas plant which might have ignited the fire.”

It was also gathered that it took combined efforts of the Federal Fire Service, Rivers State Fire Service, Nigerian Air Force Fire Service, Renaissance Fire Service, and others to finally put off the fire.

Mr. Anthony Ofoke, the supervisor of Ebonyi State Transport Corporation in the state, said two of their vehicles were destroyed in the incident.

Describing the explosion as devastating, Ofoke said “It was a big calamity, and unexpected thing that just happened, I have never experienced such. After loading three vehicles, by the time I came back from the office, I heard the sound of the explosion, it was a bomb.

“I didn’t know what to do, but to run for my life. I injured on my leg. My vehicles were affected, one of my buses and a Sienna were badly destroyed in the blast. As I speak, I am still shaken from the incident. The fire service people dressed the injury for me.”

Ofoke, however, appealed to the state government to prevent filling stations from being established near residential areas. 

Another victim and a commercial driver whose 18-seater bus was destroyed in the fire incident, Emmanuel Ninyaegwu, recounted his ordeal.

In a trembling voice, he explained that he was preparing to load his vehicle alongside his pregnant wife when the explosion occurred.

According to him, “I was getting ready to load my vehicle, as I was opening my car boot, I heard the sound of fire. I fell down, got up and ran just before it blew. It damaged my vehicle. Some people got injured, including me. Nobody died.”

Ninyaegwu disclosed that “Some people who got injured have been taken to the hospital. There was an ambulance that came in from Air Force. They treated some people, but they have taken some to the hospital.”

He confirmed that his pregnant wife who is near delivery, is safe and has been taken home, after he managed to get her out of harms way just in time.

“Fire Service came, when they came their water got finished, so help came from Air Force, that was when they put out the fire. Before fire service came, the people around tried to put out the fire but they couldn’t because it was too much and everyone was running for their lives,” he added.