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Major Fire Outbreak Hits Shell Nigeria Oil pipeline
Nov 9, 2011 – Major Fire Outbreak Hits Shell Nigeria Oil pipeline
Massive fire broke out today Wed Nov 9, 2011 on the Okordia/Rumuekpe oil pipeline in Nigeria. As a result, few production has been altered said Royal Dutch Shell spokesperson.
The fire on the pipeline in Ikarama, Bayelsa State, started a day after the company received reports of an oil spill there and was still raging at 1.45 (1245 GMT), spokesman Precious Okolobo said.
“SPDC (Shell Petroleum Development Corporate) confirmed reports of a fire incident this morning on the Okordia/Rumuekpe line … and mobilised a fire-fighting team to the site.”
“Some production has been shut down … “We can’t give detailed figures on that,” he added. “A joint investigation visit planned for tomorrow will determine the cause and impact of the fire.”
Nigeria’s oil output in the Niger Delta region is often disrupted by sabotage attacks on facilities and by bunkering — the tapping of pipelines to steal oil.
The company blamed pipeline sabotage for a force majeure it placed on exports of Forcados oil in October, the same month it lifted a force majeure on exports of Bonny Light after a spate of hacksaw attacks on pipelines.
Nigeria’s high-quality oil is widely exported to the United States, Asia and Europe, and disruptions to supplies can affect world prices because it is priced against the Brent oil benchmark. (Reuters)
