By Emeka Ugwuanyi
The management of TotalEnergies has said the oil spill incident which occurred on November 15 was not a massive leak, adding that no shoreline or communities have been impacted.
TotalEnergies’ Country Communication Manager, Dr. Charles Ebereonwu, told TBI Africa Magazine that that the oil spill was minor and hasn’t impacted the communities and shoreline. “This is not a massive leak and the sheen has been treated with the appropriate response that resulted in a reduction of most of it. No shoreline or communities have been impacted. Production has not been affected ,” he said.
The Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, said in a statement on Wednesday that NIMASA was working closely with the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), and Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and all stakeholders to control the pollution caused by oil spill incident which took place during loading operations in Total Energies’ Egina oil field.
According to the NIMASA statement, “stakeholders are closely monitoring the crude oil spill incident which took place November 15, 2023 at about 6:30am and are also putting in place measures to prevent such occurrences in the future, in line with provisions of the MARPOL Convention.
“NIMASA is working closely with the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency NOSDRA, and Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC from the Crisis Management Room CMR, where the spill is being monitored real time using oil spill monitoring software from the Emergency Response Centre.
“Though the volume of spill is not yet confirmed, Total Energies is providing aerial surveillance, dispersant application, while further mobilization is being considered. The Oil Spill Response Limited from the United Kingdom is also assisting with pollution control measures. Reconnaissance survey of the impacted area confirms that the shoreline communities of Andoni, Qua-Iboe terminals, Bonny Island, Opobo/Nkoro and Eastern Obolo, which are closest to Egina, are not yet affected.”
“The Director General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh OFR, noted that the Agency is in collaboration with all stakeholders to control the pollution and also put in place measures to prevent such occurrences in the future, in line with provisions of the MARPOL Convention.
“Since the incident happened, our men have been liaising with other organs of Government to ensure the pollution is effectively controlled and managed, to protect the marine environment and the communities close to the incident point. Accidents do happen, it’s what we do thereafter that matters and I believe that the IOC Total, working with NIMASA, NUPRC, NOSDRA and collaborating with international service providers, will surely ensure proper management of the spill”, the statement said.
