Group Demands Remediation, Compensation After Pipeline Rupture From Port Harcourt Refinery Causes Spill

In the K-Dere Community, Gokana Local Government Area, an oil pipeline that supplies crude oil to the Port Harcourt refinery burst, resulting in a significant oil spill and severe environmental damage.

A cement roadblock was erected to temporarily alleviate the damage caused by the pipeline burst on Wednesday, January 3, allowing for the continuous delivery of crude oil required for the refinery’s test run.

This came about because the community that was impacted by the incident refused to allow the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company Limited (PPMC), the company in charge of the facility, to permanently repair the damaged area after it happened. Instead, they insisted on conducting a joint investigation before allowing permanent repairs.

In the meanwhile, in the wake of the regrettable event, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) has requested that the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) conduct a comprehensive joint investigation into the spill to determine the reason the pipeline burst.

YEAC-Nigeria’s Executive Director, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, urged NOSDRA to clean up the impacted area and compensate the community if it is confirmed that equipment failure caused the damage during a press briefing on Monday in Port Harcourt.

“The Crude Oil Spill Alert System (COSAS) of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) has received a report of an oil spill in K-Dere Community in Gokana LGA (Ogoni), Rivers State,” stated Fyneface.

“YEAC-Nigeria’s Executive Director, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, was informed of the incident on January 3 and requested that NOSDRA promptly conduct a Joint Investigation (JIV) on the facility to ascertain the cause of the spill and apply pertinent provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (2021) in the given circumstances. These provisions include providing sufficient compensation to the community if equipment failure is verified and clearing the spill site.”

Fyneface continued, “The event is alleged to have happened on the PPMC pipeline right of way pumping oil to the Port Harcourt Refinery. It was reported to have happened on January 3, 2024.

“Efforts by the PPMC to fix the spill point are currently stalled by the community until JIV is carried out, but the company has temporarily stopped the spill with a cement barricade to enable it to continue the transportation of crude needed for the test run of the Port Harcourt refinery, pending when requirements are met and expected permanent repairs are expected on the spill point.”