Nigeria’s Renaissance Africa Energy Co. Ltd has suspended crude oil transport through its Okordia-Rumuekpe pipeline after a spill in Rivers State.
The spill, detected early Monday in Ikata community, Ahoada East, was first reported by volunteers from the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria).
The affected pipeline channels crude to the Rumuekpe manifold, a key route for export through the Bonny terminal on Nigeria’s southern coast.
Renaissance, which operates the facility acquired from Shell, said it has ceased production into the pipeline and initiated environmental containment efforts.
Though the company has not confirmed the cause or extent of the spill, YEAC-Nigeria suspects third-party interference, with oil reportedly spreading into the surrounding area.
The firm has alerted government regulators and is collaborating with community representatives and oversight agencies to conduct a joint investigation.
Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, a director at YEAC-Nigeria, stated that volunteers found signs of excavation and vandalism along the pipeline.
Oil theft and pipeline sabotage remain chronic issues in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, where frequent spills devastate ecosystems and disrupt vital oil output.
As the region wrestles with the latest environmental blow, local communities brace for the fallout of yet another preventable disaster.
