By Abisola THOMPSON
The management of Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company, on Sunday said it would continue to work with all the relevant authorities to restore full functionality to all its installation areas affected by fire.
The management said this in a statement issued in Lagos.
It also expressed gratitude to all its stakeholders for their support during the incident while also thanking them for their understanding.
The company, therefore, called for calm and vigilance among stakeholders.
On March 2, a suspected explosion occurred within the vicinity of Nembe Creek Well 7, behind Mile 1 Community in Bayelsa which was not too far from Nembe field logistics base (FLB).
The management said that despite initial challenges, its operations team were able to access the well head area when the fire had completely died down on early hours of March 2.
It also said that investigations confirmed that there were no fatalities; human incidents or damage to community property.
The management added that all the wells and facilities in the immediate vicinity had been inspected and secured.
“This incident did not occur at or involve any part of the NCTL or other pipelines.
“It is important to note that prior to this incident, all facilities have been shut down since 28 of February 2019 due to NCTL outage.
“Accordingly, any account suggesting that this incident arose from or affected any pipelines is wholly inaccurate and misleading.
“Full investigations to determine the cause of the fire and, in particular, to determine whether this may have been caused by third-party infractions, remain ongoing.
“These investigations are being pursed with the utmost urgency and are have been given the highest priority,” it said.
It would be recalled that Nembe trunk line is operated by the Port Harcourt-based Aiteo Group and carries crude to the Bonny export terminal.
The pipeline is jointly owned by Agip, Oando and Shell Petroleum Development Company.
