By Alike Ejiofor
Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) has confirmed four leak points on its 24-inch Trans Ramos Pipeline in the swamps of Western Niger Delta.
The Trans Ramos Pipeline (TRP) transports crude oil to Forcados Export Terminal in Delta State‎.‎
A spokesman of SPDC, Mr. Bamidele Odugbesan, said in a statement yesterday that as soon as the leaks were noticed on April 24, the company immediately shut down production, deployed containment booms and mobilised its oil spill response teams to clean the sites.
The statement added that these measures, which are SPDC’s standard operating procedures, successfully stopped and contained the spill. Â
“In line with Nigerian oil and gas industry regulations, a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) team comprising security and regulatory agencies as well as community representatives and SPDC personnel was constituted and deployed in the sites,†the statement added.
According to the statement, the JIV team confirmed four leak points on the pipeline and identified the impacted areas in Odimodi community.
The company stated that the cause of the leaks was yet to be determined as it was working on further site preparation and mobilisation of specialised equipment to the swamps for safe excavation of the pipeline for inspection.
The JIV team is expected to return to the sites as soon as possible to complete the investigation process, the statement said.
