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A 350 square miles oil spill from the Royal Dutch Shell is slowly approaching the Nigerian coast, alarming the wildlife and causing widespread coastal pollution. The leak happened on Tuesday, 20 December 2011 during a routine transfer of crude oil from the Bonga oil fields to a tanker when one of the transfer lines burst. The company confirmed a loss of 40,000 barrels of oil of which 50 percent has evaporated into air or dispersed with the floating waves. However, Nigeria’s National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency contradicts the statement, saying the leak could be Nigeria’s worst oil spill in a decade and three times larger than what Shell is putting forward. This oil spill is a major accident, possibly causing long-term damage to the environment and the people of Nigeria. This spill comes just days after the Obama administration permitted Shell to drill exploratory wells in the Artic waters, questioning the involvement oil companies in the ecologically sensitive region. A similar incident in the Artic would be disastourous where the situation is worsened by ice blocked waters and gale winds. This is not the first instance, since Shell has been blamed for many more previous oil spill incidents in the Nigerian Niger Delta where the greater part of the population is deep in poverty though the country is rich in energy resources. An August dated United Nations environmental assessment report stated that Shell was responsible for contamination of farmlands in the Ogoni area of the Delta. Environmentalists argue that many of the oil spills are purposely unreported and those that come into the public are intentionally underreported. SkyTruth, a nonprofit organization providing independent reports on environmental catastrophes said Shell’s estimate of the oil spill was not afar. The organization said the oil spill was consistent and estimated the slick at 350 square miles. As per Nigerian law, if the oil spill occurred during routine loading then it points finger towards weak operational standards. It calls for a review of the standards in the industry, said Magnus Abbe, the chairman of the Senate committee on petroleum. The flexible export line connecting the tanker to the large floating container leaked, resulting in the oil spill and damaging the Nigerian Delta waters. The company is investigating the leak in the export line as well why the spill could not be prevented. The Bonga oil field, which produces approximately 200,000 barrels of oil and gases a day, has been closed down. Shell assured the company was setting up enough resources to battle the oil spill that was less than a hundredth of a millimeter thick in most areas. It is deploying dispersants, infrared equipment to locate slicks and ecologically sensitive areas where booms could be placed. Meanwhile, around the world Russia has not followed suit with an EU ban oil Iranian oil investment. In fact, the two countries have agreed upon investment in oil pacts, which involve signing of $1 billion oil-field deal with Russia's OAO Tatneft (TATN.RS). Kyles Humphrey is a knowledgeable writer in oil related fields, who periodically writes articles related to oil prices & indexes and crude oil including tips on investment in oil. Please visit oil.com for more details.
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