Shell Nigeria has said it will shut down its 150,000 bpd Nembe Creek oil pipeline temporarily in April 2013
According to the company, its decision was based on the urgent need to stop the alleged theft of crude oil from the pipeline.
Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) pipelines asset manager, Jurgen Janzen, said, “The shutdown, which illustrates the deepening impact of alleged oil theft on the Nigerian industry, is Shell’s response to increasing numbers of illegal connections to the pipeline this year, many of which pollute the local environment.”
Shell had to shut down the Nembe Creek pipeline earlier this month because of an oil spill caused by another attempt by thieves to steal crude.
The volume of oil spilled in Nigeria in March was the highest since November 2012, according to data posted on Shell's website.
The 700 barrels worth of oil spilled to date in March, however, remains well below the 2,000 barrels spilled each month on average last year.
Janzen noted, “Since the beginning of this year, it’s going up again. There are at least 90 illegal connections still in the system now that we are aware of.”
