There was an explosion in Lagos on Wednesday after vandals ruptured an oil pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation at Akinbo Island.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the culprits came to the jetty in three barges and canoes around 1am and ruptured the splash zone of the pipeline and siphoned thousands of litres of petrol into jerry cans and operated for hours undeterred.

However, around 4.30am, there was a fire outbreak and the pipe through which they siphoned the fuel as well as a canoe were engulfed in flames.

Our correspondent, who visited the area, observed that two security posts were located about 250 metres from the scene.

About 200 melted jerrycans littered the scene.

The Deputy Manager, Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, Atlas Cove, Mr. Banjo Olajide, said he could not say the quantity of petrol lost to the fire but added that petrol was usually pumped at the rate of 600 cubic metres per hour to Mosinmi Depot.

When asked what the PPMC had done to ensure that pipeline vandals were not allowed to operate in the area, Olajide said about 50 policemen and 47 men of the Nigerian Navy as well as operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps usually patrolled the area.

He said the agency had built watchtowers and police posts at the black spots near the pipelines’ right of way.

“We have two security posts and an observatory tower here just about 200 metres away. We have about 50 policemen, 47 naval personnel stationed here. Some NSCDC personnel also patrol the area but they are not here all the time,” he said.

Olajide said Nigerian Army engineers had begun the rehabilitation of the pipelines’ right of way from Atlas Cove and the area was not difficult for security agents to patrol.

Olajide said although oil distribution had been shut down temporarily until the affected pipelines were repaired, the incident would not lead to fuel scarcity.

“It will not affect the supply of fuel. After things have stabilised, we will continue to pump petrol. We will check for leakages and we will make more repairs if need be,” he said.

Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, who cordoned off the area, said it could not be confirmed if there were any casualties.

The spokesperson, NEMA, South-West Zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, said, “The fire started at midnight between 1am and 4am. On getting there, we could not move too close because the fire was intense. However, the fire was put out around 10:48am.

“We did not see any corpses and we cannot say if anyone was injured. We however recovered a 16mm hose used by the vandals as well as parts of boats used by them

“Over 200 damaged kegs were also recovered. Cooling and pegging process has commenced.”



Source http://www.punchng.com/news/explosion-as-vandals-rupture-nnpc-pipeline/

How could they have operated for that long undeterred? What happened to the alarm systems in the operations control rooms.

A breach in the pipeline should have at least caused a LOW PRESSURE alert using whatever pressure monitoring system (i.e pressure transmitters, and flow transmitters) downstream of the affected area.

Alerts on expensive infrastructure like these should be taken seriously, and as for the vandals, I just don't understand why some people will vandalize their own.

The funds used to make repairs could have been used to better some individuals environments (in the absence of corruption) be it through beautification projects, sanitation, small road networks, drainages, and so much more.

Bottom line is I won't put the weight of this on the vandals, but rather on the lag time between the criminal act, and the response.

Godson201333: There was an explosion in Lagos on Wednesday after vandals ruptured an oil pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation at Akinbo Island.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the culprits came to the jetty in three barges and canoes around 1am and ruptured the splash zone of the pipeline and siphoned thousands of litres of petrol into jerry cans and operated for hours undeterred.

However, around 4.30am, there was a fire outbreak and the pipe through which they siphoned the fuel as well as a canoe were engulfed in flames.

Our correspondent, who visited the area, observed that two security posts were located about 250 metres from the scene.

About 200 melted jerrycans littered the scene.

The Deputy Manager, Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, Atlas Cove, Mr. Banjo Olajide, said he could not say the quantity of petrol lost to the fire but added that petrol was usually pumped at the rate of 600 cubic metres per hour to Mosinmi Depot.

When asked what the PPMC had done to ensure that pipeline vandals were not allowed to operate in the area, Olajide said about 50 policemen and 47 men of the Nigerian Navy as well as operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps usually patrolled the area.

He said the agency had built watchtowers and police posts at the black spots near the pipelines’ right of way.

“We have two security posts and an observatory tower here just about 200 metres away. We have about 50 policemen, 47 naval personnel stationed here. Some NSCDC personnel also patrol the area but they are not here all the time,” he said.

Olajide said Nigerian Army engineers had begun the rehabilitation of the pipelines’ right of way from Atlas Cove and the area was not difficult for security agents to patrol.

Olajide said although oil distribution had been shut down temporarily until the affected pipelines were repaired, the incident would not lead to fuel scarcity.

“It will not affect the supply of fuel. After things have stabilised, we will continue to pump petrol. We will check for leakages and we will make more repairs if need be,” he said.

Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, who cordoned off the area, said it could not be confirmed if there were any casualties.

The spokesperson, NEMA, South-West Zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, said, “The fire started at midnight between 1am and 4am. On getting there, we could not move too close because the fire was intense. However, the fire was put out around 10:48am.

“We did not see any corpses and we cannot say if anyone was injured. We however recovered a 16mm hose used by the vandals as well as parts of boats used by them

“Over 200 damaged kegs were also recovered. Cooling and pegging process has commenced.”



Source http://www.punchng.com/news/explosion-as-vandals-rupture-nnpc-pipeline/

na wa

Yoshi-Master:
How could they have operated for that long undeterred? What happened to the alarm systems in the operations control rooms.

A breach in the pipeline should have at least caused a LOW PRESSURE alert using whatever pressure monitoring system (i.e pressure transmitters, and flow transmitters) downstream of the affected area.

Alerts on expensive infrastructure like these should be taken seriously, and as for the vandals, I just don't understand why some people will vandalize their own.

The funds used to make repairs could have been used to better some individuals environments (in the absence of corruption) be it through beautification projects, sanitation, small road networks, drainages, and so much more.

Bottom line is I won't put the weight of this on the vandals, but rather on the lag time between the criminal act, and the response.

Alarm gini? Where do you think you are? USA or the dustbin country known as Nigeria?

Number 3three.

help us oooo. this greedy easterners don reach lagos o. and this foolish channels tv presenters were celebrating the disgrace and disposal of oga chem who had ensured this rot was contained

What position am I?

OK.. SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE OPC GUYS THAT WERE GIVEN A CONTRACT OF N2.4B TO GUARD THESE PIPE LINES IN THE WEST OF NIGERIA??

militia take over western nigeria. we have to please them too by handing over the presidency just like we did to ijaw people.. no bi so..... i am laughing.
d you think the pipeline came from ijaw land.. no..


if i declare the independent of western nigeria for example... in the next 24 hour.. i will take over all barrack not only in the western nigeria.. but the whole of the south.. this how much people will go.


[img]http://www.topnews.in/files/Nigeria-rebel-group301.jpg[/img]

Sad... Really Sad.
There is Hope for this country still.

I don't support crime in any way but honestly, a man who has a place of work to go to by 8am will not go out to steal petrol from 1am - 4am...Unemployment

bbpreye.:


na wa

Godson201333: There was an explosion in Lagos on Wednesday after vandals ruptured an oil pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation at Akinbo Island.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the culprits came to the jetty in three barges and canoes around 1am and ruptured the splash zone of the pipeline and siphoned thousands of litres of petrol into jerry cans and operated for hours undeterred.

However, around 4.30am, there was a fire outbreak and the pipe through which they siphoned the fuel as well as a canoe were engulfed in flames.

Our correspondent, who visited the area, observed that two security posts were located about 250 metres from the scene.

About 200 melted jerrycans littered the scene.

The Deputy Manager, Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, Atlas Cove, Mr. Banjo Olajide, said he could not say the quantity of petrol lost to the fire but added that petrol was usually pumped at the rate of 600 cubic metres per hour to Mosinmi Depot.

When asked what the PPMC had done to ensure that pipeline vandals were not allowed to operate in the area, Olajide said about 50 policemen and 47 men of the Nigerian Navy as well as operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps usually patrolled the area.

He said the agency had built watchtowers and police posts at the black spots near the pipelines’ right of way.

“We have two security posts and an observatory tower here just about 200 metres away. We have about 50 policemen, 47 naval personnel stationed here. Some NSCDC personnel also patrol the area but they are not here all the time,” he said.

Olajide said Nigerian Army engineers had begun the rehabilitation of the pipelines’ right of way from Atlas Cove and the area was not difficult for security agents to patrol.

Olajide said although oil distribution had been shut down temporarily until the affected pipelines were repaired, the incident would not lead to fuel scarcity.

“It will not affect the supply of fuel. After things have stabilised, we will continue to pump petrol. We will check for leakages and we will make more repairs if need be,” he said.

Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, who cordoned off the area, said it could not be confirmed if there were any casualties.

The spokesperson, NEMA, South-West Zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, said, “The fire started at midnight between 1am and 4am. On getting there, we could not move too close because the fire was intense. However, the fire was put out around 10:48am.

“We did not see any corpses and we cannot say if anyone was injured. We however recovered a 16mm hose used by the vandals as well as parts of boats used by them

“Over 200 damaged kegs were also recovered. Cooling and pegging process has commenced.”



Source http://www.punchng.com/news/explosion-as-vandals-rupture-nnpc-pipeline/

bbpreye.:


na wa

na wetin dey reign now.

reserved

Perhaps some people with PPMC and associated contractors delibrately oversee the lax monitoring so that, upon any sabotage, remedial funds are approved for them to bunker.

Until we reduce or stop this get rich quick and by all means mentality, destruction of oil pipelines and theft of products therein will continue to be the norm.

Hmmm

We never learn from our mistakes.until more people die from this uncouth action of ours.ha

These thieves will never repent in destroying the national property.

may God deliver them

alpha conde: What position am I?

leave that position of a thing n contribute to our problem.

This na hustlers anthem!


Hungry Man no know the meaning of risk.

LWKMD...how do U̶̲̥̅̊ expect Nigeria police too stay with ǟ pipeline dat does not Pay them N50persec when there Iƨ̣̣̣̇̇̇ ǟ express close to theme?

Can the moderators do something to these scumbags who are fond of quoting long threads without any meaningful comment?

[b]IT SEEMS LIKE AM THE 20TH TO COMMENT....[[size=8pt][/size]/b]
Matcheewww!!.. It can't be..
let me recount..><

Sanusi was once quoted as saying that the solutions to Nigeria's problems are well known by the leaders. Only that such solutions are not in their interest. The application of more engineering and technology is the only effective check on vandalization. The dependence on manpower deployment is a mockery and an obvious arrangement to share the loot among many to the detriment of the nation.

Vandals like these are bastards.
Last Bullet:
Many lives & properties v been lost due to explosions resulting from pippeline vandalization.

We need obafaiye shem 'mr oga at the top' back in lagos

Nigeria there are a whole lot of technological methods to tackle this menace of pipeline vandalism as some rightly mentioned low pressure flow control systems could be used to automatically cut off the flow of products once the pressure drops. A country cursed with leaders with on vision. Naija i wa to 2 ooo

maanma: leave that position of a thing n contribute to our problem.

am I the only one seeing this?

EmperorOlu:

"A breach in the pipeline should have at least caused a LOW PRESSURE alert using whatever pressure monitoring system (i.e pressure transmitters, and flow transmitters) downstream of the affected area"

Good thought,It's a simple logic,but Nigerians have better ideas in scams or looting .They are using 50 police men to guard pipelines in the age of technological advancement.This problem has been reccurring,yet no end to the vandalism anytime soon.Nigeria is still in living in dark age.

Lordave]am I the only one seeing this?
I saw it too oh! hmmn!! am just wandering why the dude needed more problem in this fast rotten junkyard called Nigeria.

The security operatives that should have been electronically monitoring the pipelines should be publicly held responsible. I hope investigations into their bank accounts are made.

Yoshi-Master:
How could they have operated for that long undeterred? What happened to the alarm systems in the operations control rooms.

A breach in the pipeline should have at least caused a LOW PRESSURE alert using whatever pressure monitoring system (i.e pressure transmitters, and flow transmitters) downstream of the affected area.

Alerts on expensive infrastructure like these should be taken seriously, and as for the vandals, I just don't understand why some people will vandalize their own.

The funds used to make repairs could have been used to better some individuals environments (in the absence of corruption) be it through beautification projects, sanitation, small road networks, drainages, and so much more.

Bottom line is I won't put the weight of this on the vandals, but rather on the lag time between the criminal act, and the response.

EmperorOlu:
Alarm gini? Where do you think you are? USA or the dustbin country known as Nigeria?

USA or Nigeria, UK to China, there is still no reliable system to automatically detect loss of containment except its a major rupture in the pipeline which would reduce throughput significantly. Low level leaks would hardly be spotted confidently by any form of instrumentation.

For a high pressure line delivering 600 cubic metres per hour (600,000Litres in one hour), these vandals can fill several 30,000 litre tankers without being spotted except someone physically sights and reports them. Yes, control rooms in the US would not also spot this, that's why pipelines worldwide are always patrolled to spot any likely leaks.