Explosions damage pipelines at Shell, Agip oil fields in Bayelsa — Official

Unidentified persons on Monday attacked oil facilities operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) at Ikarama community, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa.

Confirming the incident on Tuesday, Michael Adande, an SPDC spokesperson, told NAN that the oil firm had received reports of the incident and shut down the facility to curtail impact.

“We have report of interference on our pipeline about 1 kilometre from Ikarama Community in Bayelsa State.

“We immediately shut-in the line and we have informed the relevant regulatory government agencies and stakeholders.

Mr Adande said a government-led joint investigation team would determine the cause of the interference.

Narrating how the explosion happened, Ben Warder, a youth leader in Ikarama near the incident site, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that residents heard several sounds from the explosions that rocked the oil fields on Monday.

“The site is not far from Ikarama, we heard sounds from the blast and it sounded like dynamites and it was not safe to go near.

“So, when the situation became quiet we had to trace what happened and it turned out that Shell’s gas pipeline and Agip’s crude lines were destroyed.

Mr Warder said the incident resulted in air pollution from the gas pipeline and crude leak which members of the affected communities are battling to cope with.

Oil pipeline vandalism is one of the major challenges oil companies operating in Nigeria’s Niger Delta often face.

(NAN)