Nairametrics| Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) announced the shutting down of the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL). The pipeline measures 97 kilometres and has a capacity of transporting 150,000 metric tonnes of crude oil daily.
Vandalism and oil theft are part of the security problems affecting oil revenue from the Niger Delta. According to Managing Director and Country Chair of SPDC, Mr. Osagie Okunbo, the planned closure will allow the company repair any leaks along the line, it also plans to work with security officers to rid the NCTL of illegal connections.
The NCTL was the single largest project undertaken by the SPDC in the Niger Delta. It was commissioned in 2010 and cost $1.1 billion to construct. It was constructed to replace the ageing and often vandalized Nembe Creek Pipeline, which had suffered significant losses due to incessant fire outbreaks, sabotage and theft.
