oil spill in Delta

[Steve Kretzmann <steve@moles.org>]

  OIL SPILL FORCES SHELL TO CLOSE SIX OIL WELLS
  
  Details of a major oil spill at the weekend which led to the closure of 
  24 oil flow stations operated by Shell  is beginning to emerge. The
  flowstation accounts for 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Shell's one
  million bpd crude oil output, although all but six have now been
  reopened, the company said yesterday. ``The leakage was repaired by noon on
  12/10/97 and by early afternoon, production staff started reopening flow
  stations,'' Shell said in a statement. ``By this morning only six flow stations
  remained to be opened up, and it is expected that those will resume
  production later in the day,'' it added.  The spill occurred on the
  Asaramatoru River in Andoni local government of River state in the
  southeast. Shell has suffered several similar spills in recent times it
  blamed on sabotage from Nigeria's restive oil-producing communities.  In
  this instance Shell said the cause of the spillage and volume of crude
  oil spilled were yet to be determined.  It said the spill was traced to a
  manifold on a trunk line situated six miles northeast of its Bonny crude
  oil loading terminal. The spill had been contained and efforts were being
  put in place to clean up the crude, it added. Two Shell flowstations were
  shut in the last two weeks in separate areas where local communities were
  compensated for damages caused by oil spills.  Shell pumps roughly half
  of Nigeria's two million bpd of crude oil and its installations have
  frequently been target of attacks by villagers seeking compensation for
  damages to their properties. Corrosion of ageing pipelines, currently
  being replaced, has also caused leaks in the past. 
  _______________________________________________________
  Steve Kretzmann			510-705-8982 - office
  Campaigns Coordinator		510-705-8983 - fax
  
  Project Underground
  Exposing corporate environmental & human rights abuses
  Supporting communities threatened by the mining and oil industries
  
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