Renaissance Energy halts oil transportation following spill in Rivers

Renaissance Africa Energy, a Nigerian independent oil company, has suspended crude oil transportation through its Okordia-Rumuekpe pipeline in Rivers State after an oil spill, the company announced earlier this week.

The pipeline, which transports crude southwards to the Rumuekpe manifold for further export through the Bonny terminal, was compromised by a spill on Monday in the Ikata community, situated in Ahoada East Local Government Area, according to the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria).

The leak was initially detected by YEAC-Nigeria’s network of community volunteers.

Renaissance, which took over the former onshore operations of Shell and currently operates the pipeline, confirmed it had ceased injecting crude into the pipeline. The company added that it had implemented measures to minimise any further environmental damage, as stated by a company spokesperson.

Although the company has not disclosed the cause or scale of the spill, YEAC-Nigeria speculates that the incident was caused by external interference, with reports indicating that crude oil has contaminated the surrounding environment.

Renaissance confirmed that it had informed the relevant government regulators and was collaborating with them, as well as with the local community, to conduct a joint investigation at the spill site.

The Niger Delta, a region rich in oil, continues to grapple with frequent oil spills and sabotage of infrastructure, which not only cause significant environmental pollution but also disrupt oil production and threaten local livelihoods.

Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, told Reuters that the volunteers who visited the site found signs of digging and deliberate tampering with the pipeline infrastructure.