Niger Delta militants on Friday dipped the
nation’s oil export further, blowing up the
Forcados 48 inches under-repair Shell
Petroleum Development Company terminal
pipeline in Burutu Local Government Area
of Delta State.
The attack, our correspondent learnt,
occurred at about 3am.
The rampaging militant group, the Niger
Delta Avengers, claimed responsibility for
the attack in series of tweets.
Military sources confirmed the
development to our correspondent.
Shell spokesperson, Precious Okolobo,
could not immediately confirm the incident,
but promised to get back on the
development.
Okolobo had earlier also said that repairs
were continuing on Forcados despite the
militants warning after the first attack.
The Shell Petroleum Development
Company of Nigeria Limited, in a statement
on Friday, confirmed signs of a leak on the
48-inch Forcados export pipeline at a
location between shoreline and the
Forcados terminal in the western Niger
Delta.
The oil major said, “We are yet to fully
evaluate the potential impact and damage
to the pipeline resulting from this latest
incident. We have however mobilised
appropriate oil spill response measures and
will be conducting a joint investigation visit
to the leak site with relevant stakeholders.
“We are currently focused on securing the
pipeline to protect the environment. Given
this latest incident and the wider security
situation in the Niger Delta, we are unable
to determine probable timing of resumption
of exports from the Forcados terminal.”
In February, Shell declared force majeure
— a legal clause that allows it to stop
shipments without breaching contracts —
after militants blew up a pipeline feeding
the Forcados export terminal, knocking out
at least 250,000 barrels per day.
The attack is coming barely 24 hours after
the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe
Kachikwu, said in Vienna that the Forcados
pipeline would reopen in July.
NDA, in a tweet announcing the attack,
said, “At 3:00am today @NDAvengers blew
up the SPDC forcados 48” Exportline. We
warned SPDC not to go ahead with repair
work(s) but they refuse(d). This is an
example to all other multinationals.”
The group had, however, denied
involvement in Wednesday’s attack which
left about eight persons, including three
soldiers, dead in an attack on SPDC’s
houseboat in Ijere, Warri South.
In the statement dissociating the group
from the killings posted on its website, it
said its operational codes prohibited it
from shedding innocent blood.
It vowed to go after the killers of the
soldiers and bring them to book.
NDA said, “The Niger Delta Avengers were
not involved in the attack of the military
houseboat around Warri, Delta State. Killing
of sleeping soldiers is not our style. We
promise the world that in this process of
liberating our people, not a single blood of
Nigerian soldiers will be wasted despite the
provocation.”
Source: Punch ng
nation’s oil export further, blowing up the
Forcados 48 inches under-repair Shell
Petroleum Development Company terminal
pipeline in Burutu Local Government Area
of Delta State.
The attack, our correspondent learnt,
occurred at about 3am.
The rampaging militant group, the Niger
Delta Avengers, claimed responsibility for
the attack in series of tweets.
Military sources confirmed the
development to our correspondent.
Shell spokesperson, Precious Okolobo,
could not immediately confirm the incident,
but promised to get back on the
development.
Okolobo had earlier also said that repairs
were continuing on Forcados despite the
militants warning after the first attack.
The Shell Petroleum Development
Company of Nigeria Limited, in a statement
on Friday, confirmed signs of a leak on the
48-inch Forcados export pipeline at a
location between shoreline and the
Forcados terminal in the western Niger
Delta.
The oil major said, “We are yet to fully
evaluate the potential impact and damage
to the pipeline resulting from this latest
incident. We have however mobilised
appropriate oil spill response measures and
will be conducting a joint investigation visit
to the leak site with relevant stakeholders.
“We are currently focused on securing the
pipeline to protect the environment. Given
this latest incident and the wider security
situation in the Niger Delta, we are unable
to determine probable timing of resumption
of exports from the Forcados terminal.”
In February, Shell declared force majeure
— a legal clause that allows it to stop
shipments without breaching contracts —
after militants blew up a pipeline feeding
the Forcados export terminal, knocking out
at least 250,000 barrels per day.
The attack is coming barely 24 hours after
the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe
Kachikwu, said in Vienna that the Forcados
pipeline would reopen in July.
NDA, in a tweet announcing the attack,
said, “At 3:00am today @NDAvengers blew
up the SPDC forcados 48” Exportline. We
warned SPDC not to go ahead with repair
work(s) but they refuse(d). This is an
example to all other multinationals.”
The group had, however, denied
involvement in Wednesday’s attack which
left about eight persons, including three
soldiers, dead in an attack on SPDC’s
houseboat in Ijere, Warri South.
In the statement dissociating the group
from the killings posted on its website, it
said its operational codes prohibited it
from shedding innocent blood.
It vowed to go after the killers of the
soldiers and bring them to book.
NDA said, “The Niger Delta Avengers were
not involved in the attack of the military
houseboat around Warri, Delta State. Killing
of sleeping soldiers is not our style. We
promise the world that in this process of
liberating our people, not a single blood of
Nigerian soldiers will be wasted despite the
provocation.”
Source: Punch ng
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