Shell investigates leak in Niger delta
Source: Reuters
Shell investigates leak in Niger delta
Reuters in Yenagoa
The Guardian, Friday 23 August 2013 19.33 BST
Royal Dutch Shell's Nigerian unit is containing an oil spill in the Niger delta, the company said on Friday, after the military reported liquid "jetting" out of a pipeline. Massive oil theft, sabotage of infrastructure and leaks from ageing pipelines are all cutting into the profits of the big oil companies operating in Nigeria, as well as damaging public finances.
The hundreds of spills a year in the Niger delta do serious environmental damage, destroying fishing communities and poisoning water used for drinking and bathing.
The military joint taskforce said it had discovered a leak on a pipeline near Adamakiri in Rivers state while looking for illegal oil refiners. "An assessment of the spot revealed that a brownish liquid substance was observed jetting out from an opening on the pipeline," a statement said. "The commanding officer … attributed the leakage to corrosion on the pipeline."
A spokesman for Shell's Nigeria unit said that "oil spill containment" had been put in place but it was too early to determine the cause of the leak.
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