The National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has said that 3000 barrels of oil lost at Egina FPSO was due to export hose failure.
On Sunday, November 26, Mr. Idris Musa, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NOSDRA spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria and provided an update on the 3000 barrels of oil spill that occurred at Egina.
He said the agency employed dispersants, which are chemicals utilized to clean up crude oil spills by breaking down oil molecules.
Musa detailed the agency’s swift response, mentioning the immediate deployment of personnel to the spill site.
The oil spill occurred at the Egina Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel situated in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 130 kilometres off the Rivers/Akwa Ibom coastline.
He attributed the spill to an operational mishap resulting from the failure of an export hose.
According to him, the prompt response of the operator resulted in the identification and stoppage of the leak, thereby preventing the spilt crude from further spreading and damaging the environment.
He also said shoreline surveillance and baseline mapping were carried out starting from Calabar River to Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom.
He said:
- “The Agency received the report of a crude oil spill incident from TotalEnergies Upstream Nigeria PLC which occurred from the company’s Egina Floating Production Storage and Offload (FPSO) facility.
- “The spill is as a result of an export hose snap on November 15 at 06:27 hrs; the facility is located deep offshore at a distance of 130km from the shoreline, and ultra deep-water depth of 1150 m.
- ‘’The report of the incident complies with extant laws and regulations. Following a request from TotalEnergies, we facilitated entry into Nigeria, a Borba dispersant application aircraft and six expatriates from Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) Southampton, UK, to hasten response activities.
- “The support results from the approval from relevant government agencies as contained in the Nation & Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) have been remarkable.’’
Backstory
Following an oil spill that took place during loading operations on November 15, TotalEnergies provided updates on Thursday, November 23, reassuring that the oil production at the Egina field remained unaffected despite the incident.
Charles Ebereonwu, the Communication Manager of the company in Nigeria, confirmed the active management of the oil spill.
He emphasized that the spill had no impact on the ongoing oil production at the site.
Additionally, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) reported that nearby shoreline communities, including Andoni, Qua-Iboe terminals, Bonny Island, Opobo/Nkoro, and Eastern Obolo, were not affected by the spill.