NOSDRA tackles oil spill from pipeline at Obololi community

The National Oil Spill Detection Response Agency (NOSDRA) has commenced remediation work on the crude oil spill from Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, 16″ Nun River-Kolo Creek pipeline located at Obololi community in Southern Ijaw Local Council of Bayelsa state.

NOSDRA Director General, Chukwuemeka Woke, in a statement, said the agency is actively monitoring the ongoing response and continuously evaluating the situation to ensure that appropriate actions are deployed accordingly.

According to Woke, they received a report on Monday, February 17, 2025, of a crude oil spill from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) 16″ Nun River-Kolo creek pipeline at Obololi community in Southern Ijaw LGA, Bayelsa State, and immediately they swung into action to tackle it.

He added, “Following the receipt of the report as the lead Agency on all matters related to oil spill incidents in Nigeria, the Agency convened and held a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the incident area on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.”

“We led JIV to constitute the investigation team made up of relevant stakeholders including SPDC (the operator), State Ministry of Environment, and the Community to establish the indices around the incident and recommend necessary regulatory compliance actions to mitigate it.”

He disclosed that observations and updates were made in line with the cause of the spill which was unknown because the suspected leak point/ pipeline was submerged in the water implying that the JIV was an inconclusive exercise.

“SPDC is preparing a coffer dam to enable the team to get access to the spill point; containment of the spill area has been completed; temporary storage tanks are in transit to the spill location; and recovery of free phase oil has commenced on Friday, February 21, 2025,” he said.