The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) says it will begin recovering free-phase oil on Friday following a spill from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

Chukwuemeka Woke, director-general of the agency, stated this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

Mr Woke disclosed that a crude oil spill was reported from SPDC’s 16-inch Nun River-Kolo Creek pipeline at Obololi community in Southern Ijaw LGA, Bayelsa.

He said the recovery commencement was agreed upon by a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV), which included relevant stakeholders such as Shell Petroleum.

“The Agency received a report on Monday, Feb. 17, of a crude oil spill from SPDC’s 16-inch Nun River-Kolo Creek pipeline at Obololi community, Bayelsa.

“As the lead agency for oil spill incidents in Nigeria, NOSDRA convened and conducted a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the site on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

“The JIV was led by the Agency and included SPDC, the Bayelsa Ministry of Environment, and the community to determine key factors related to the incident,” he said.

He stated that the JIV recommended necessary regulatory actions to mitigate the spill, alongside other observations.

However, he said the JIV was inconclusive as the cause of the spill was unknown, and the suspected leak point or pipeline was submerged in water.

“SPDC is preparing a cofferdam to give the team access to the spill point, and containment of the affected area has been completed.

“Temporary storage tanks are being transported to the spill site, and the recovery of free-phase oil will begin on Friday,” he said.

Mr Woke added that NOSDRA was closely monitoring the response and would continuously assess the situation to ensure appropriate actions were taken.

He said the agency would provide further updates on the spill and recovery efforts as events unfolded.

(NAN)