Oil exploration giant – Aiteo – has clarified the situation of its operatioms in the Nembe Creek, Bayelsa State, following the explosion that occurred on March 2, 2019.
The management of the company made the clarifican via a statement thus:
“On 2 March 2019, a
suspected explosion occurred in the Niger Delta, within the vicinity of Nembe
Creek Well 7, behind Mile 1 Community in Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
“Despite initial challenges, our operations team were able to
access the well head area when the fire had completely died down on early hours
of 2nd March.
Preliminary investigations confirm that there were no
fatalities; human incidents or damage to community property. All the
wells and facilities in the immediate vicinity have been inspected and secured.
This incident did not occur at or involve any part of the 97 kilometre
pipeline, Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) or other pipelines. It is
important to note that prior to this incident, all facilities have been shut
down since 28 of February 2019 due to NCTL outage. Accordingly, any account
suggesting that this incident arose from or affected any pipelines is wholly
inaccurate and misleading.
“Full investigations to determine the cause of the fire and,
in particular, to determine whether this may have been caused by third-party
infractions, remain ongoing. These investigations are being pursed with the
utmost urgency and are have been given the highest priority.
“We are continuing to work with all the relevant authorities
to restore full functionality to all the relevant installations and affected
areas.
In the time being, we express our gratitude to all our
stakeholders for your continuing support and understanding whilst urging calm
and vigilance.
As becomes necessary, we shall continue to share information
on these developments in due course.”