The Okordia-Rumekpe 14-inch crude truck line operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has discharged some 213 barrels of crude oil into the Ikarama community in Bayelsa.

SPDC’s spokesman, Bamidele Odugbesan, confirmed the leakage and said the company had concluded a probe into the incident.

A Joint Investigative Visit’s (JIV) report obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria confirmed that the spill occurred on April 7, and the investigation concluded on April 12.

JIV is a statutory probe into the cause of any recorded spill incident involving the oil firm, regulators, host communities, and state ministries of the environment.

The JIV report concluded that the spill was an operational mishap traced to equipment failure, impacting nearby palm trees and fish ponds.

It recommended remediation of the site. The report indicated that the leak polluted an estimated 1.34 hectares of land.

According to the report, out of the 213 barrels of SPDC’s bonny light crude stream leak, some 110 barrels are recoverable from the ongoing recovery exercise at the site, leaving an estimated spilt volume at 109.12 barrels.

The JIV report, which anticipated that oil recovery would be concluded before the end of April, also recommended replacing sections of the pipeline to restore its integrity.