Yemisi Izuora
A breach on a 20 inch crude delivery pipeline from Kolo Creek fields to Rumuekpe in Rivers State, discharged some 306 barrels of crude into the swamps.
The Kolo-Creek Fields trunk in Bayelsa State is linked to Rumuekpe pipelines in Rivers State enroute the Bonny Terminal.
According to a Joint Investigation Visit, JIV, report, the spill impacted a total area of 3.61 hectares beyond the oil firm’s right of way.
Residents of Oruma-Yibama community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, had raised alarm over the non-commencement of clean-up of an oil spill site more than a month after the incident.
The community reported inflow of crude oil from Shell oil fields located in Odau in Rivers State on June 2, 2015.
The JIV report also indicated that the oil leak was caused by activities of suspected oil thieves who had breached the pipeline and connected a pipe to siphon crude.
The report stated that the investigation team suspected that the vandals had malicious intention and channelled the crude oil leaking from the pipeline to aid its spread to wider areas.
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t was further gathered that representatives of Shell, community, National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency conducted the joint investigation on June 24 and 25.