icegram campaigns=”30234″]Shell said Wednesday it’s working towards safe resumption of operations at a crude oil facility in the Niger Delta, after hundreds of protesters last week invaded the flow station demanding jobs and infrastructure development.
A spokesman for Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) told Kallanish Energy a group of individuals illegally occupied SPDC’s Belema Flow Station and Gas Plant on Aug. 11. The facilities weren’t manned at the time, as they had been shut down earlier following security threats.
“While the facilities remain shut, we have notified the authorities of the incident and are working towards safe resumption of operations,” he said, without giving a date for reopening. “SPDC will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of staff and contractor personnel in our operations.”
Shell and other international oil companies are accused of exploiting the Niger Delta’s oil wealth and ignoring local demands. Protesters also claim oil explorers are responsible for oil pollution ruining much of the land.
Attacks to infrastructure and personnel have become a constant threat to IOCs operating in Nigeria. The African country, a member of OPEC, saw its oil production fall to just over 1 million barrels per day (MMBPD) last year, but volumes have been steadily recovering.
The Belema station, in Rivers state, feeds oil into Shell’s Bonny grade export terminal. Supplies of Bonny Light crude are already limited as the Trans Niger Pipeline is closed, although exports have continued using the Nembe Creek Trunk Link pipeline.
Nigeria’s crude oil exports were set to exceed 2 MMBPD in August – a 17-month high, but fell back after Shell declared force majeure on Bonny Light in mid-July.
