Oil Spill: Agip Shuts Down Idu Well 11 In Bayelsa

The Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) on Wednesday confirmed an
oil leak from its Idu oilfields at Egbebiri settlement within
Biseni in Yenagoa Local Government Area in Bayelsa, resulting in
its shutdown.

The cause of the leakage, according to the Joint Investigative
Visit (JIV) report on the incident sighted by the News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN), is traced to equipment failure due to a rupture at
the wellhead.

In a response statement made available to NAN, Eni, parent
company of NAOC, said the facility was shut down to prevent further
damage to the environment.

The statement made available by an Eni Spokesperson on behalf of
the Italian Energy firm reads: “As soon as the incident was
reported, we activated our oil spill response, shut in the well and
notified government regulatory agencies.

“The Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) was carried out on
09/05/2021, with participation of community representatives and the
government regulatory agencies.

“The event occurred within the Company’s well head location
which is paved and walled round. There is no significant third
party impact,” Eni stated.

However, an environmental rights group, Environmental Rights
Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) said that the
incident which discharged crude and associated gas had severely
polluted the environment.

The Non-Governmental Organisation said that a visit to the spill
site showed pictorial evidence of the crude spreading beyond NAOC’s
right of way as nearby vegetation were withered as a result of the
crude impact.

According to a field report on the spill incident signed by Mr
Alagoa Morris, Head of Field Operations at ERA/FoEN, the Idu fields
was notorious for frequent spills caused by equipment failure.

“The people of Egbebiri in Biseni kingdom have experienced
several oil spills over the years. And all the oil spill incidents
documented by the Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth
Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) in this community environment have occurred as a
result of equipment failure and on Wellheads.

“ERA/FoEN has had cause to visit the environment of Idu Well 5
and 11 located within the same place in the past and it has always
been Idu Well 11 spewing crude oil into the environment.

“Available records from ERA/FoEN indicate that there has been
previous oil spills from this particular Idu Well 11 operated by
Agip.

“Before concluding this Field Report, ERA/FoEN confirmed that
Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) was carried out on Sunday, 9th May,
2021.

“This is why the official Spill Reference No 2021/LAR/028/058 is
indicated in this report; sourced from the JIV report. Cause of
spill was attributed to equipment failure,” ERA/FoEN stated.

The report quoted a resident of the community simply identified
as Georgie as saying that the spill incident of May 7 spilled oil
from around 10 p.m till about 8 a.m the next day before the leak
was stopped.

According to ERA/FoEN, the residents said that the level of
damage was enormous.

“You can see the level of damage all over ,we don’t know what to
do. But for now we are calling on relevant agencies to ensure that
prompt action is taken so as to prevent the spill spreading to the
water bodies in the environment. You can see all the trees are
changing colours.

“So, I am calling on Agip, the Federal and State Governments to
come to our aid,” ERA/FoEN quoted a resident appealing.

The Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) on Wednesday confirmed an
oil leak from its Idu oilfields at Egbebiri settlement within
Biseni in Yenagoa Local Government Area in Bayelsa, resulting in
its shutdown.

The cause of the leakage, according to the Joint Investigative
Visit (JIV) report on the incident sighted by the News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN), is traced to equipment failure due to a rupture at
the wellhead.

In a response statement made available to NAN, Eni, parent
company of NAOC, said the facility was shut down to prevent further
damage to the environment.

The statement made available by an Eni Spokesperson on behalf of
the Italian Energy firm reads: “As soon as the incident was
reported, we activated our oil spill response, shut in the well and
notified government regulatory agencies.

“The Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) was carried out on
09/05/2021, with participation of community representatives and the
government regulatory agencies.

“The event occurred within the Company’s well head location
which is paved and walled round. There is no significant third
party impact,” Eni stated.

However, an environmental rights group, Environmental Rights
Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) said that the
incident which discharged crude and associated gas had severely
polluted the environment.

The Non-Governmental Organisation said that a visit to the spill
site showed pictorial evidence of the crude spreading beyond NAOC’s
right of way as nearby vegetation were withered as a result of the
crude impact.

According to a field report on the spill incident signed by Mr
Alagoa Morris, Head of Field Operations at ERA/FoEN, the Idu fields
was notorious for frequent spills caused by equipment failure.

“The people of Egbebiri in Biseni kingdom have experienced
several oil spills over the years. And all the oil spill incidents
documented by the Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth
Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) in this community environment have occurred as a
result of equipment failure and on Wellheads.

“ERA/FoEN has had cause to visit the environment of Idu Well 5
and 11 located within the same place in the past and it has always
been Idu Well 11 spewing crude oil into the environment.

“Available records from ERA/FoEN indicate that there has been
previous oil spills from this particular Idu Well 11 operated by
Agip.

“Before concluding this Field Report, ERA/FoEN confirmed that
Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) was carried out on Sunday, 9th May,
2021.

“This is why the official Spill Reference No 2021/LAR/028/058 is
indicated in this report; sourced from the JIV report. Cause of
spill was attributed to equipment failure,” ERA/FoEN stated.

The report quoted a resident of the community simply identified
as Georgie as saying that the spill incident of May 7 spilled oil
from around 10 p.m till about 8 a.m the next day before the leak
was stopped.

According to ERA/FoEN, the residents said that the level of
damage was enormous.

“You can see the level of damage all over ,we don’t know what to
do. But for now we are calling on relevant agencies to ensure that
prompt action is taken so as to prevent the spill spreading to the
water bodies in the environment. You can see all the trees are
changing colours.

“So, I am calling on Agip, the Federal and State Governments to
come to our aid,” ERA/FoEN quoted a resident appealing.