…Seeks foreign intervention
AITEO Eastern Exploration and Production says it lacks the technical expertise to halt the ongoing spill from its Santa Barbra Well 1 OML 29 in the Nembe Creek, Bayelsa State. The oil firm is therefore seeking assistance of foreign technical expertise to help it stop the devastating oil spill.
On November 5, the oil firm had reported an “extremely high order” oil spill from its Nembe oilfield. But more than two weeks after the massive spill was discovered, oil is still gushing out of the wellhead causing extensive pollution of the environment.
Aiteo had acquired the OML 29 following the 2015 divestment by Shell Petroleum Development Company Ltd. But the assets under its operatorship had witnessed failures with huge ecological threats to livelihoods in the area compared to when Shell was operating the assets.
Ijaw Professionals Association, Homeland Chapter, recently blamed AITEO’s incompetence for the repeated massive spills on its facilities. The Group under the leadership of Iniruo Wills, a legal practitioner and a former Commissioner for Environment in Bayelsa State, criticised the management of the oil firm for ascribing the oil spill to sabotage.
He warned the oil firm to be prepared for the consequences of its failure, insisting that the “government will not stand by and watch AITEO put human and aquatic lives and the environment in jeopardy.”
“AITEO should not assume that this criminal neglect of its facilities and disregard for human life and the environment, as demonstrated by its conduct, will not be accounted for” the governor warned.
However, the oil firm, in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Mathew Ndianabasi, claimed it has intensified its response by seeking the assistance of other oil and gas exploration firms in the response to the spill.
“Though spills of this nature are not uncommon to the oil and gas industry, their resolution requires expert skill and equipment that are not routinely or readily available. The typical process is to first kill the well and stop the leak and then focus on the clean-up. Aside urgent possible technical responses to contain the leak, Aiteo has sought, become involved with and is now in active collaboration with Clean Nigeria Associates (CNA) that have since mobilised to site, in addition to Aiteo internal resources to reinforce containment and recovery efforts. CNA is the industry non-profit umbrella body with expertise and resource to contain spills of this nature.
“In the meantime however, the area has been cordoned off and CNA is mobilising additional resources to strengthen the containment effort. The required apparatus including heavy duty and specialist equipment are presently being mobilized, locally and internationally, on a fast-track basis, to bring the well under control. For this purpose, Aiteo has on-boarded the involvement of the renowned, Boots & Coots, arguably the leading well control company in the world, working with a local resource. Upon this intervention and conclusion, it is expected that the persistence of the leak alongside its functional consequences will be abated and significantly diminished,” the oil firm said.