Nembe Aiteo spill: NOSDRA says well still discharging crude

Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa

The National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) on Sunday said the November 5 oil spill reported at an oil well within Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29 was yet to abate, 10 days afterwards.

It was learnt that officials of NOSDRA deployed to ascertain the cause and estimated volume of crude discharge could not conduct the investigation while the leak was still ongoing.

Director-General of NOSDRA, Idris Musa, in an update to the development, said that the leak had yet to be plugged as of Sunday adding that the intensity of the leak was hampering investigations at the incident site.

On whether the leak has been capped, the NOSDRA DG said: “Not yet, the Clean Nigeria Associates (CNA), an alliance of all oil firms operating in the country has been called to beef up oil recovery.

“That effort is to reduce the ultimate risk and impact on the environment,” Musa said.

Musa said that following the inability of the indigenous operator of OML 29 Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Exploration Company to stop the leak, it was definite that international help will be required to block the leakage.

On the category of the spill incident which ranges from tier I, II and III where I is a leak within an operator’s control and II requiring intervention across the industry and III of international magnitude Musa said the incident cannot yet be classified as a tier II spill.

“It is not yet tier II, but we are already prepared in anticipation. So, CNA can start work today,” the NOSDRA CEO said.

Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production had in a statement on Wednesday, said it was yet to ascertain the volume of the crude that had been discharged into the surrounding environment.

The statement signed by the spokesman of the company, Mr Mathew Ndianabasi also said the oil firm suspected sabotage as the cause of the spill and said the company was mobilising local and international know-how to contain the incident.