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Shell, Eni’s 553 Nigerian oil spills alarming — Amnesty

By BusinessNews Staff on March 21, 2015

Amnesty International has raised the alarm over what it said could pass for a national emergency as two oil majors operating in Nigeria, Royal Dutch Shell and Italian Eni, reported 553 oil spills last year.

The human rights watchdog on Thursday said the companies admitted to more than 550 oil spills in the Niger Delta in 2014.

By contrast, on average, there were only 10 spills a year across the whole of Europe between 1971 and 2011, according to Amnesty International.

It said Shell reported 204 spills in 2014 in the Niger Delta area, while Eni, which operates in a smaller area, reported a staggering 349 spills.

The Global Issues Director, Amnesty International, Audrey Gaughran, said, “These figures are seriously alarming. Eni has clearly lost control over its operations in the Niger Delta. And despite all its promises, Shell has made no progress on tackling oil spills.

“In any other country, this would be a national emergency. In Nigeria, it appears to be standard operating procedure for the oil industry. The human cost is horrific – people living with pollution every day of their lives.”

According to the organisation, the companies said that the spills resulted in only 30,000 barrels, or five million litres of the oil spilt. It, however, said given the very poor reporting systems used by the oil companies, the figure was highly likely to be a significant underestimate.

It noted that the oil companies blamed sabotage and theft for the vast majority of the spills, adding that the claim was hotly contested by the affected communities and non-governmental organisations, and had been shown to be wrong.

Gaughran said, “Italian oil giant, Eni, which owns the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, is a smaller player in the Niger Delta than Shell and has received less attention. But the number of oil spills from its operations requires urgent action by both the Nigerian and Italian governments.

“On top of the 349 spills in 2014, Eni reported more than 500 oil spills in 2013. The Nigerian regulator reported 474 oil spills from Eni operations in 2012.

“The Italian government must investigate what is happening in Eni’s Nigerian operations. These figures raises serious questions about potential negligence by the company going back many years.

“As a matter of priority, all oil firms in Nigeria must urgently disclose the age and condition of their infrastructure, carry out reviews of their operating practices, and make the findings public so that communities know what is going on.”

Whatever the cause, according to Nigerian law, the oil companies are responsible for containing and cleaning up spills, and returning affected areas to their prior state, however, this rarely happens, he added

[Punch]

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