The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) has shut the 28-inch Bomu –Bonny Trunk line after discovering a fire on it early Sunday morning.

The raging inferno is assumed to have been caused by a burning vessel which is alleged to have vandalised the trunk line to steal crude oil.

A statement signed by Shell’s Corporate Media Relations Manager, Tony Okonedo, alleged that “a burning vessel, thought to be involved in the theft of crude oil from the line, was sighted near the incident site, close to Okololunch community in the Eastern Niger Delta.”

According to the oil giant, the Bomu–Bonny Trunk line conveys crude oil to Bonny Terminal and some 150,000 barrels of oil per day is deferred due to the incident.

The Bomu – Bonny trunk line is part of the Trans Niger Pipeline, “which itself has been repeatedly targeted by crude thieves” the statement added.

The burning vessel seen in the picture is currently engulfed in raging flames and thick smoke.

Shell’s Vice President for Health, Safety, Environment and Corporate Affairs, Sub-Saharan Africa, Tony Attah, stated that “this incident clearly demonstrates the scale of the oil theft problem which, alongside the hundreds of illegal refineries in the Delta, is having such a profound effect on the people, communities and the environment.”

Lamenting the unabated level of oil theft in the creeks of the Niger Delta and the resultant devastation to the environment, Mr Attah warned that “until these activities are brought to a halt there will be no improvement in the environmental situation”

The statement claimed SPDC is “mobilising to fight the fire, investigate the cause and carry out repairs.”

“Last year, sabotage and crude oil theft were also the cause of 11,806 barrels spilled from SPDC facilities in 118 incidents.”

alaoeri: Nemesis catch up with illegal bunkers.

Mr Lee: Shell should go and do proper environmental cleanup of that creek and its environment.

debosky: Not surprising really - with the level of bunkering going on it's a wonder we haven't seen more of these incidents.

Seems like 'Shell' has an excuse for all its environmetal contamination . . . .

An excuse to get out of its 1billion dollar clean up operation of the Delta?

dabriggs: Department of Petroleum Resources (especially Port Harcourt Zonal Office), NIMASA, NAVY,SHELL,NOSDRA oya make una activate NOSCP immediatley. Tell CNA to mobilize clean-up equipments.
Shut down the valves.Inform production platforms to stop pumping crude. Isolate the and starve the affected line. Monitor burning of crude on vessel. (If na me I go make sure say all the crude burn finish so that the vessel no go even get salvage value).
Deploy ocean booms and skimmers around the vessel (not too close) and recover/disperse fugitive leaked oil continously. Get help from other IOCs if need be.
Fight fire when level of fire reduces.
Survey level of damage of vessel. And Handover vessel demob to NIMASA.Meanwhile during demob emmergency response for fire and spill should be on standby mode.
Oya I don activate emmergency response. Lol!