Shell to Resume Pipeline Test 

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) plans to resume the testing of its main trunkline, the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), which takes crude from production fields to the SPDC joint venture terminal in Bonny Island in Rivers State. The TNP supports crude oil production from the facilities of the SPDC joint venture and other producers who rely on the Bonny terminal for crude export.

A source told our correspondent that  the company and Bodo community in Rivers State may be nearing some agreement to allow regulators and SPDC access any troubled sections of the TNP in the community for investigation and necessary repairs. The community had given both SPDC and regulators some conditions before granting them access.

“Some people prevented the company and regulators from accessing the site of the alleged spills but I can tell you that the access challenge is being resolved such that the regulator and SPDC will be allowed to visit the site any moment,” the source said, adding: “We know the SPDC joint venture’s Trans Niger Pipeline is not formally shut but we also know that the line has not conveyed significant oil in more than two months so if it is established that a spill did occur, we expect that any impact of the spill would be minimal.”

“We are working with relevant stakeholders to enable access to the locations of reported incidents along the TNP’s pathway,” spokesperson for the company, Michael Adande, said, adding that the access would allow for a regulator-led investigation of the alleged incidents, and subsequent repairs. This, he said, “would enable resumption of the TNP system test.”