An oil spill from crude loading operations at the Nembe Creek oilfield in Bayelsa State has polluted parts of the creek and affected several fishing communities, residents and environmental monitors have said. The incident, which reportedly occurred on August 22, was said to have happened when a barge loading crude oil from a manifold at... The post Oil Spill Pollutes Nembe Creek appeared first on New Telegraph .
An oil spill from crude loading operations at the Nembe Creek oilfield in Bayelsa State has polluted parts of the creek and affected several fishing communities, residents and environmental monitors have said.
The incident, which reportedly occurred on August 22, was said to have happened when a barge loading crude oil from a manifold at the facility ruptured, discharging crude into the surrounding waterway.
The Nembe Creek oilfield, located within Oil Mining Lease 29 (OML 29), is operated by Nembe Exploration & Production Limited, formerly known as Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited.
An assessment by the Environmental Conservation Agriculture and Rural Development (ECARD), conducted two days after the incident, found crude oil along the creek and mangrove banks.
ECARD’s Lead Field Monitor, Chief Alagoa Morris, said a strong smell of crude oil became noticeable about two kilometres from Nembe Creek during the organisation’s visit to the affected area on August 24.
According to the organisation, the spill had spread to several fishing settlements, with residents reporting the loss of fishing activities and damage to fishing equipment.
The Paramount Ruler of Nembe Creek communities, HRH Agent Waya, said the incident had compounded the economic hardship facing residents whose livelihoods depend largely on fishing.
Waya alleged that community members reported the spill to naval personnel after officials of the oil company failed to respond immediately to their concerns.
He said women from the affected communities subsequently protested at the Aiteo facility, demanding relief materials, proper assessment of the damage and compensation for affected residents.
The traditional ruler said the communities had requested urgent relief within three days, stressing that residents could no longer carry out fishing activities because of the pollution.
According to him, the spill occurred while crude oil was being loaded into a barge, which allegedly tilted and discharged crude into the river.
He listed Mile 1, Mile 2, Mile 3, Roka, Williamkiri, Atonbarakiri, Korukiri and Madam Wanwakiri among the affected communities.
Other communities and fishing settlements reportedly affected include Ewelesuo, Kpongbokiri, Victorkiri, Abuja 1, Abuja 2, Abuja 3, Pipeline 1, Pipeline 2, Pipeline 3, Pipeline 4, Kalakububogo and Etikiri.
The Women Leader of the affected communities, Mrs Ebi Otokolo, said the pollution had rendered the river waters unsafe for fishing, domestic activities and other livelihood purposes.
Otokolo said residents had been forced to remain indoors because of the strong smell of crude oil, while fishermen could no longer access their traditional means of livelihood.
Another resident, Mrs Love Mark, said fishing nets contaminated by crude oil had become unusable.
She said a single fishing net could cost between N150,000 and N170,000, adding that affected fishermen urgently needed assistance from the oil operator.
The situation, residents said, goes beyond the immediate loss of fishing activities, as fishing communities depend on the creek for food, income and other domestic needs.
A former Youth President of neighbouring Ewelesuo community, Mr Daukoru Benjaka, called for the inclusion of his community and its fishing camps in the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) into the incident.
Benjaka said the spill had affected fish catches and other aquatic resources, including periwinkles, warning that continued pollution could threaten the survival of fishing-dependent communities.
ECARD said its field observations showed substantial quantities of crude oil on the water surface and around mangrove roots, despite reports from residents that tidal movements had reduced the visible concentration of the pollution.
The environmental organisation warned that rising tides could transport the crude deeper into the mangrove ecosystem, potentially exposing aquatic organisms such as crabs, oysters and periwinkles to further contamination.
Cause Identified, Extent Still Unclear
ECARD said information obtained from the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment and the Nembe Oil and Gas Committee indicated that the Joint Investigation Visit had identified operational failure as the cause of the spill.
However, the organisation said the precise volume of crude discharged and the full extent of the affected area remained inconclusive as of August 26.
The organisation called for a comprehensive assessment of the impacted environment to determine the full scale of the damage and guide the remediation process.
The latest incident has also revived concerns over the history of oil spills associated with operations in OML 29.
The Nembe Creek oilfield, regarded as the largest oil and gas field within OML 29, was developed by the Shell Petroleum Development Company from the 1970s.
Shell divested its interest in OML 29, including the 97-kilometre Nembe Creek Trunkline, to Aiteo in 2015 in a deal reportedly valued at about $2.5 billion.
Among the major incidents associated with the area was the 2019 spill at Santa Barbara Well 1, followed by the major 2021 incident that reportedly discharged crude oil into the environment for more than a month.
ECARD said subsequent spills around the Nembe Creek facility had also frequently been linked by residents and environmental groups to crude-loading activities.
Residents have further raised concerns over restrictions on fishing around oil-loading areas, alleging that the deployment of large lifebuoys and the movement of crude-loading vessels had affected fishing activities.
According to them, fishing nets are sometimes caught on the buoys or damaged by vessels operating around the loading points.
The Paramount Ruler, Waya, appealed to the Bayelsa State Government and relevant regulatory authorities to urgently intervene.
He said the affected communities were facing severe economic hardship as a result of the pollution and urged the oil operator to provide regular support to fishermen whose livelihoods had allegedly been affected by oil spills and operational restrictions.
ECARD, meanwhile, called for comprehensive cleanup and remediation of the polluted Nembe Creek environment.
The organisation said proper remediation was necessary not only to restore the damaged ecosystem but also to protect the fishing livelihoods of communities that depend on the creek.
As the affected communities await further assessment of the spill, residents say their immediate concerns remain clear: access to relief, proper investigation, compensation for losses and the restoration of the polluted creek.
Public affairs officials of Nembe Exploration & Production Limited declined to comment when contacted for an update on the incident.
