The halt stems from what the company describes as an unusual situation which was experienced during crude oil expedition August 16 2015.
Total’s deputy general manager in charge of Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Charles Ogan, said in a statement Tuesday that during crude oil expedition operation on August 16, it was observed that the oil expedited from Obagi was not received at Rumuekpe metering station.
“Expedition was immediately stopped and a helicopter over-flight was carried out, which revealed oil spill and fresh excavations on the pipeline Right Of Way,” he said.
Ogan stated that the relevant authorities have been informed.
According to him, in view of the highly volatile nature of the area and the security concerns, the company is working with the security agencies to secure the location and provide safe access for intervention teams.
Ogan did not disclose the volume of crude oil affected as he noted that the volume of oil spilled and area of impact have not been estimated.
He however gave the assurance that further updates on the incident which occurred within Oil Mining Lease (OML) 58 would be provided in due course.
Crude oil production in OML 58, which is located approximately 85 kilometres North-west of Port Harcourt began in 1966, while gas production started in 1999.
Gas is supplied from the facility to the Nigeria LNG plant in Bonny Island, while crude oil is transported to Shell Bonny Export Terminal through Shell pipelines at Rumuekpe.
Total E&P Nigeria operates OML 58 with a 40 per cent interest, alongside the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which has 60 per cent.
ThisDay
Editing:lubepoint
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